On August 1, local time, a cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain left the port of Odessa on the Black Sea coast for Lebanon. This is the first grain ship to leave the Black Sea port after Russia and Ukraine signed the agreement on the export of agricultural products from the Black Sea port, marking the restart of Ukraine’s grain export after a five-month suspension.
Ukraine and Russia are both major grain exporters, and the total grain exports from the two countries account for nearly one-third of the global total. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in February this year, the grain exports of both countries were disrupted. More than 20 million tons of grains were stranded in Black Sea ports and could not be shipped out, increasing the risk of a global food crisis, especially for low-income countries.
On July 22, representatives of Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations held an agreement signing ceremony in Istanbul on the issue of exporting agricultural products from Black Sea ports. The main content of the agreement is to establish a joint coordination center in Istanbul and ensure the safety of food transportation.
The Ukrainian President’s Office said that another 16 ships full of grain were waiting to set sail in the port of Odessa, carrying a total of nearly 600,000 tons of grain.
The “Grain Corridor” opens the first ships carrying Ukrainian grain to set sail. Click on the video to see what it is!