STUDY OF EXPORT AND IMPORT POTENTIAL OF THE SALT MARKET IN UKRAINE

Purpose. Objective of the work – to study the state and development trends of the salt market in Ukraine and its place in the global salt market in the context of increasing competition in times of turmoil. Tasks of the work – to analyze the dynamics of global salt production in general and across leading countries; to identify the specifics of export-import activities by salt-producing countries; to determine the position of Ukraine's salt market in the global salt market during the war. Design/ Methodoogy/ Approach. To achieve the research goal, the following methods were used: Аnalytical method – for quantitative analysis of production and identifying the export-import potential of the global salt market; Statistical method – for analyzing the dynamics of global salt production and the structure of production by salt-producing countries; analyzing the export-import activities of salt-producing countries in the global salt market, and interpreting the balance and competitiveness of Ukraine's foreign trade in salt; Systematic method – for studying the economic conditions of the salt market in Ukraine. Conclusions/ added value. The potential for the development of the salt market in Ukraine remains uncertain due to the war and changes in global trends. The following trends can be attributed to the development of the global salt market: the import and export of salt will increase annually for leading countries. Ensuring Ukraine's salt needs through domestic extraction mainly relies on the Solotvyno deposit, which is located in secure territories and has confirmed reserves listed in the State Reserve Balance. It also has a high level of mining-geological exploration with pre-project solutions for salt extraction. Increasing the productivity of the Tereblya deposit requires innovative technologies. The prospect of liberating the city of Soledar, where the facilities of the state enterprise "ARTEMSIL" are located, should not be ruled out. It is expected that during the post-war recovery period, "ARTEMSIL" will restore its production capacities to provide the population with domestically produced salt. In 2024, if a salt shortage occurs in Ukraine's food market due to the primary salt producer, "ARTEMSIL," being located in an active combat zone, the introduction of an export licensing and quota regime is expected.