The last ship loaded with grains for hungry people left Odessa over the weekend, then Russia announced it is pulling out of a deal to allow grain shipments.
A deal which allowed for Ukrainian agricultural products to be exported safely through a Russian naval blockade enabled delivery of 33 million tons of wheat, corn and other grains to market over the past year, and was credited by the United Nations for helping lower global food prices by 20 per cent.
The World Food Program – which is battling food shortages in Afghanistan, Yemen, and East Africa – bought 80 per cent of its wheat from Ukraine during the first half of 2023.
Russian President Vladimi Putin told South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that he won’t allow grain exports to resume because promises to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertilizer have not yet been met.
Russia has withheld ship permits since June 26.
Russia repeatedly threatened to quit the deal, brokered by the U.N. and Turkey in July 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It had been previously extended for two months on May 17.
Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s top grain exporters.
Russia’s war on the Ukraine has left millions of some of the world’s poorest people, especially in Africa, without a secure supply of grain.
It has also pushed grain prices significantly higher and, secondarily, costs for baked goods breakfast cereals and processed foods that contain a substantial amount of grain.
