With the departure of the first ship, will the Ukrainian grain crisis witness a breakthrough?

The head of the administration of the pro-Russian region, Yevgeny Palitsky, said in a message to him via the Telegram application, Thursday, that “after a hiatus of several months, the first merchant ship left the Berdyansk commercial port carrying seven thousand tons of grain to friendly countries.”“.

Economic experts and analysts believe that intense international efforts are currently underway to help the Ukrainian grain trucks exit to the outside world, to contribute to solving the food crisis and reducing grain prices, especially wheat, which have risen significantly in recent times, considering that sailing the first ship today carries a breakthrough for this the crisis.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month that “difficult negotiations” were underway to lift the Russian Black Sea blockade of Ukrainian ports, where millions of tons of grain cannot be exported..

With the outbreak of war last February, Ukrainian grain exports stopped, and shipments remained locked up in warehouses in Ukrainian ports overlooking the Black Sea. On the other hand, Russia complains of obstacles to its exports due to Western sanctions.

Turkish mediation

Yesterday, US President Joe Biden thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his country’s efforts to solve the Ukrainian grain output crisis..

For his part, Erdogan said that his country is continuing its efforts to solve the grain crisis in Ukraine by following a “balanced policy.”“.

Moscow and Ankara are discussing the establishment of a sea corridor in the Black Sea that will allow the passage of Ukrainian grain exports, to contribute to solving the global food crisis that has worsened in recent months..

Earlier, the United Nations warned of the possibility of famine and unrest around the world, if the Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea were not opened..

In this regard, the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture has appealed to the governments of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union, to provide temporary storage facilities, which are either special large plastic containers or temporary silos.

Kyiv fears a shortage of storage capacity of about 15 million tons, when the corn harvest ends in the fall.

global pressure

For his part, political economist Ali Al-Idrisi said in statements to “Sky News Arabia” that stopping the export of Ukrainian grain negatively affects the global food situation, but the world is currently looking for quick alternatives, part of which is in the negotiations supported by Ankara, and another in Poland provides solutions for the use of its ports and land routes for the passage of grain ships to importing countries, to solve the food crisis.

Poland and other European countries are trying to increase the capacity of land routes to transport Ukrainian grain, but they still face many obstacles.

Al-Idrisi added that “the world is trying to search for more alternatives and solutions because the food crisis has become affecting everyone without exception, other than that this problem is no longer linked to Ukraine alone, as some countries have announced stopping the export of wheat in these circumstances, including India, which is one of the most important countries in the world. The largest wheat producer in the world“.

India’s decision to ban wheat exports has sparked resentment abroad, especially as it comes amid the sharp rise in prices since the outbreak of the Ukrainian war.

He pointed out that countries are trying to cooperate greatly to provide grain, especially wheat, to work on the decline in prices, especially since the biggest problem is especially for countries that depend on imports to provide their food security..

Al-Idrisi considered that this crisis comes as a result of a “bone-breaking match”, between Russia on one side, and the West and the United States on the other, as each side seeks to pressure the other side to implement its demands, adding: “Russia is pressing with oil and grain files, and the West is pressing with economic sanctions and reducing Oil imports and reduce commercial transactions, but the one who pays the price in this crisis is the global economy and developing countries“.

Normally, Ukraine – the fifth largest wheat exporter in the world – exported up to six million tons of wheat per month in peacetime, but the blockade of its seaports reduced the quantity to 300,000 tons in March and about one million tons in April..