More than 17 million tons of grain have been transported via the Black Sea grain corridor Türkiye helped broker last year to avert a potential food crisis amid the Russia-Ukraine war, an official statement said Saturday.

After an almost six-month blockade caused by the Russian invasion, three Ukrainian Black Sea ports were unblocked at the end of July 2022 under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye.

"The shipment of grain from Ukrainian ports continues safely as planned," the Turkish National Defense Ministry said. So far, at least 643 grain-loaded ships have left Ukrainian ports, according to the ministry statement.

Under the deal, all ships are inspected by a joint coordination center with officials from the three countries and the U.N. set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments through the Bosporus.

The first ship carrying grain departed last August from the Ukrainian port of Odessa under the historic deal, which was extended for four months in mid-November.

Türkiye, internationally praised for its unique mediator role between Ukraine and Russia, has repeatedly called on Kyiv and Moscow to end the war through negotiations.

The Ukrainian government has said that the country could harvest about 51 million tons of grain this year, down from a record 86 million tons in 2021, because of the loss of land to Russian forces and lower yields.