Black Sea Grain Initiative-News Article

1. Black Sea Grain Initiative: Exports Top 560,000 Tonnes Ukraine; one of the world’s leading grain exporter, contributing more than 45 million tonnes annually to the global market was attacked by Russia on the 24th of February. What followed next were sky high food and fuel prices and disruptions in the global supply chain. All this while grains piled up in silos in the ports of Ukraine. With naval blockade from Russia, Ukraine has been unable to export food grains through its Black Sea ports for 5 long months. The crisis was so severe that the United Nations thought that an agreement between the two was the only way to cool down spiraling food prices and stave off famines, thereby saving millions of innocent people. And when an agreement was signed between the two, it felt like a ray of hope. After weeks of hard work and round clock negotiations that led to signing of the Black Sea Grain Exports Deal, this unprecedented agreement between the representatives of Russia and Ukraine is finally bearing fruits. Since July 22, when Russia agreed to lift its naval blockade, more than 560,000 tonnes of grains have been exported through the three Ukrainian ports: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny in the Black Sea.

2. JOINT COORDINATION CENTRE’S INSPECTIONS AND AUTHORIZATIONS Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) which was inaugurated in Istanbul on July 27 following the Black Sea Grain Initiative, has so far authorized the movement of 21 outbound and 15 inbound vessels through the humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea to facilitate the safe and secured exports of grain, food items and fertilizers from the ports of Ukraine. During the period, it has inspected 27 inbound and outbound vessels through its joint inspection teams and has cleared all of them. THE OUTBOUND SHIPMENTS AND THEIR CONTENTS As per the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), The Black Sea Grain Initiative which was launched by the Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations (UN) has led to exports of grains from Ukraine on 21 outbound vessels between August 1 and August 15. These shipments included:- 451,481 metric tonnes of corn 50,300 metric tonnes of sunflower meal 41,622 metric tonnes of wheat 11,000 metric tonnes of soya beans 6,000 metric tonnes of sunflower oil 2,914 metric tonnes of sunflower seed WHERE WERE THE SHIPMENTS HEADED? Exports of food grains so far by Ukraine have primarily gone to Turkey, Iran, Republic Of Korea and China with Turkey accounting for 26%, Iran accounting for 22%, Republic Of Korea accounting for 22% and China accounting for 8% of the total Ukraine’s grains exports. Apart from this, the 23,000 metric tonnes of Wheat procured by World Food Programme (WFP) as part of its humanitarian operations to drought response in Ethiopia is en route to Djibouti. CONCLUSION With reports suggesting more than 20 million tonnes of grain stored at Ukraine’s ports in the Black Sea and more coming in from the new harvest, it seems like the global food crisis is nearing end. If the Black Sea Grain Initiative continues to allow global access to the food products of Ukraine and the fertilizers of Russia, then it surely will bring relief to developing economies on the brink of bankruptcy in general and hundreds of vulnerable people on the edge of famine in particular.