On August 1 last year, the world applauded the departure of the first ship from a Ukrainian port since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Loaded with 26 tons of corn, the freighter “Razoni” left Odessa for Lebanon, thanks to the “unprecedented agreement” for the export of grains reached by the United Nations (UN) and Ankara signed in Turkey.
Eight months later and with no certainty about the future of the “humanitarian corridor” that has allowed tons of Ukrainian “gold” to flow, Dmytro Barinov, deputy head of Ukraine’s seaports administration, accuses Russia of making it difficult to inspect ships and is doing calling on the leaders to pressure Moscow to end the “blockades” of the initiative. “Half of the World Food Program depends on Ukrainian agricultural products,” warns the Ukrainian representative in Odessa.
Since the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, described by the UN Secretary-General as a “beacon of hope”, some 21.4 million tons of grain have been exported through Ukrainian ports. According to Dmytro Barinov, there is capacity to double exports, but delays in the arrival of ships and boycotts of inspections determine the process. “If we need at least 20 inspections a day, they do two or three. It’s not enough. They create targeted traffic. That’s why we’re short of ships. Waiting months to enter the Black Sea and those already loaded are waiting for inspection,” he explains.
Agreement has one month left
When the agreement was signed, the UN announced the creation of a joint coordination center, with representatives from Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, to inspect all ships sailing to and from Ukrainian ports. The past few months have required day-to-day management to ensure the greatest number of products are sold. As the end of the agreement approaches, which will be extended for 120 days in mid-November, Barinov says Russians are “starting to work slowly, coming in later and leaving earlier”.
A month before the deadline, the lack of definition grows and strategies are being sought to overcome obstacles. We’re trying to do better. If they’re only inspecting two or three craft, let’s make the craft bigger. Because for them it’s five or seven thousand tons of dead weight, so if it’s 50 thousand tons, better for us.”
tons to export
According to the Ukrainian representative, at the time of the Russian invasion, the country had 20 million tons in storage, a number that had doubled over the past year and will continue to rise with the 2023 harvest, which will begin in late 2023. from May. “We have to sell to free up warehouses and so that farmers have money to buy seeds, fuel and fertilizer to start the new season. It’s a cycle,” explains Barinov.
Earlier this week, the Kremlin demanded an end to sanctions on agricultural products to extend Ukraine’s grain corridor. Dmytro Barinov admits that he is “nervously waiting for the date”, but guarantees that the main fear is not the Ukrainian economy, but world hunger.
In contrast to Europe, which felt the blockage of Ukrainian exports due to the sharp increase in the price of some products, the scenario in African countries was more dramatic. “The people in Ethiopia, Kenya or other poor countries don’t even have enough to eat, so world leaders should put pressure on them and convince them [aos russos] to end these measures that are delaying and blocking the grain initiative,” Barinov argues.
Source: DN
