The concentration of primary commodities remains in the structure of Ukraine’s exports, the country is losing the potential for increasing exports of higher value-added products, the World Bank has said.

“Ukraine has a strategic geographic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, the largest endowment of fertile agricultural land in Europe, a large population of educated workers, and an Association Agreement with the European Union since 2015, which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). These endowments offer a tremendous opportunity for Ukraine to boost exports of higher value-added and diversified products … But the benefits associated with trade openness, such as technological externalities and knowledge spillovers, have remained limited,” the World Bank stated in a report.