Ukrainian grain is being shipped from the country's ports as part of the initiative and screening of the United Nations and Türkiye. The process is expected to stop a possible famine around the globe and started weeks ago; however, millions of tons of food already accumulated in Ukraine still need to be exported so there is enough space for the new harvest.
So far more than 1 million tons of grain and food items have been exported under the deal and there is much more to come.
The Istanbul-based mechanism has worked well so far, monitoring ships’ movements to ensure their compliance with the initiative. The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), which brings together representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye and the U.N., controls the flow and the operation.
The shipments started on Aug. 1 and teams have conducted over 100 inspections on board.
However, although the operation works well, the amount of grain being transported is not enough to reduce the tons that have accumulated in Ukrainian ports. There is simply no space for the new harvests due to the previous harvests waiting to be sold. So it might be worth discussing enhancing the capacity of the shipments and accelerating the process by involving more ships.
There is also the issue of exporting fertilizers so farmers across the world can continue food production. So the process should be run on two levels, fertilizers and grain, so farmers in different countries can continue food production.
With the initiative of Türkiye and the U.N., a vital process has finally started. Now the shipments should be screened very well and the process should continue even faster. I hope that new attacks will not harm the deal since the relationship between Russia and Ukraine is very fragile.
The situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant remains very risky and there are demands that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) be allowed to visit the plant as soon as possible. However, Russia does not seem to care about the demands. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a public speech last week that any actions by Russia that trigger the disconnection of reactors could bring the station to the brink of disaster again. So alarm bells are ringing. There have also been attacks on the Ukraine train system, and the battle is deepening. Russia does not want to retreat from Ukrainian land and Ukraine does not plan to give up in the near future. Unfortunately, this war is turning into a proxy war between the United States and Russia that might lead to years of struggle.
It is very sad for Ukraine and also for the rest of the world. That is why the grain shipments are of tremendous importance and they should continue to prevent a global famine.
