"We are primarily catering to the Middle East and Africa. Seventy per cent of our exports go from Black Sea ports."
The ship Razoni left Odesa on August 1, with 26,000 tonnes of grain but a Lebanese buyer rejected the cargo. People concerned about global food shortages closely watched the ship's voyage.
"The Russians have been looting the wheat, looting the agricultural equipment as well. That's the reason for the food crisis.
Vasyl Myroshnychenko is in New Zealand this week and says failing to stand up to Russia will be disastrous for global peace, prosperity and freedom. Photo / Supplied
"The prices have increased globally so consumers feel it everywhere. People in the Pacific islands are struggling to get hold of flour."
He said sunflower oil was a key ingredient for baby food, and many producers worldwide relied on Ukrainian sunflower oil.
"The prices have skyrocketed."
He said the invasion had sent energy and fuel prices surging in many parts of the world. Along with food shortages, that had contributed to inflation and associated rises in the cost of living.
"That's why it's so important to support Ukraine. It helps solve your own domestic issues. If Russia withdraws from Ukraine we retake our sovereignty. To bring the markets back to normal, we need to repel the Russians."
Aside from economic concerns, ethics were at stake, he said.
"It's been very different in the occupied territories. Russians have actually stolen the agricultural machinery. A lot of the agricultural machinery ended up in Chechnya. Stuff they couldn't steal, they destroyed.
"Farmers couldn't plant their seeds in the spring. In many places even if they managed to plant it they couldn't harvest it."
Some farmers in eastern and southern Ukraine fled. Others stayed.
"But they are suffering under the Russian occupation," Myroshnychenko added.
He said Russian commanders were encouraging troops to loot, rape and steal, and the Russian regime was selling the invasion as an adventure for young troops.
"They come from very underprivileged parts of Russia. You don't see any soldiers from Moscow or St Petersburg."
He said Putin's regime was harming Ukrainians of different ethnicities, including Russian speakers.
"It doesn't matter. They kill everybody or they torture everybody."
He said some Russian speakers were Ukrainian partisans fighting to repel Putin's invasion. The war was largely a conflict between two different worldviews, he said.
"If we can allow one country to change borders by force, it will embolden other countries to follow suit. It is in the interests of New Zealanders for that not to happen."
Vasyl Myroshnychenko and his family meeting the Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro at Government House. Photo / Supplied
Russia's Government was a dictatorship infested with elderly kleptocrats and cronyism, he said.
"We are a democracy. We've had the change of government since we became independent in 1991. We only had one President who served two terms in a row. We value freedom. We value human rights, just like New Zealanders."
For press freedom, Reporters Without Borders last year ranked Ukraine 97th and Russia 150th.
The Freedom House NGO rated Ukraine "partly free" rather than free but still well ahead of Russia.
Myroshnychenko said the Russian invasion had caused about a trillion dollars of damage to Ukraine - and vast sums would be needed to fix ruined infrastructure.
"We only see prosperity in Europe, in the EU."
He said Putin's regime was wallowing in nostalgia for the USSR and wanted to re-establish the Soviet empire.
