The Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Supply, Markian Dmytrasevits, will plead on Monday in the European Parliament for the acceleration and expansion of grain corridors because Russia threatens not to renew the Black Sea grain deal.
The European Parliament is holding a hearing in Brussels on the consequences of the war in Ukraine and on food security in the EU.
According to the chairman of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB), Alex Lissitsa, a setback is expected next year in the export of grain and oilseeds. Due to Russian aggression, up to ten percent of the global export of winter wheat on world markets could disappear, Lissitsa said this week at an agricultural forum in Berlin.
In a meeting with the chairman of the German Farmers' Association (DBV), Joachim Rukwied, the Ukrainian agricultural economist described how cultivating arable land on his 120,000 hectare farm is made difficult by the ongoing shelling from Russian attackers. According to Lissitsa, approximately 15 billion euros in investment capital is needed to secure the next sowing period. However, it is unclear where this money should come from.
European politicians from the committees on Agriculture, Environment, and International Trade have already agreed to major EU support operations to kickstart Ukrainian export corridors through Polish territory to ports on the Baltic Sea. More provisional storage capacity is also needed,
Senior officials from the United Nations are negotiating with Russia about renewing and expanding the agreement which could expire next month if no consensus is reached. Talks on extension are not making much progress, said the Russian UN ambassador in Geneva on Thursday.
He reiterated Moscow's position that Western sanctions obstruct the export of Russian grain and fertilizers, even to poor countries that need the supplies.