The renewed Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain exports over the Black Sea is raising concerns once again about global food security. The United Nations fears that developing countries in Africa and Asia could face severe food shortages.
In recent days, Russia has carried out missile strikes on grain and food storage facilities in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, destroying large food supplies.
The Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture has asked the EU for additional financial support to further facilitate their exports via European ‘solidarity corridors’ to ports in EU countries. This additional support can help develop alternative routes and reduce dependence on transport over the Black Sea.
It is being investigated whether exports could also be routed through ports in Germany (via the North Sea) and Croatia (Adriatic Sea). In that case, the grain would first need to be transported by rail in containers, which is not only much slower but also far more expensive.
Furthermore, work is underway on widening and deepening the Danube so that larger inland vessels can divert to Black Sea ports in Romania. Exploring these options may contribute to circumventing the Russian blockade.
In response to the possible shift in Ukrainian grain export routes, five EU countries bordering Ukraine have again requested the European Commission to extend the ‘export ban’ on Ukrainian products at least beyond September 15. This request could further escalate geopolitical tensions between the EU and Russia and has significant consequences for international trade relations.
It is now up to the European Commission to decide on this matter, possibly as early as next week during the regular meeting of the 27 Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries. Previously, several EU countries indicated that they consider restricting Ukrainian international trade to be too pro-Moscow and anti-Kyiv.