Last Wednesday (June 8), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Turkey to discuss issues related to Ukrainian grain exports with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Ukraine produces enough food for 400 million people, according to the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP), and the current crisis in Ukraine could cause more than 40 million additional people to face food insecurity.
As Uzbekistan's granary is piling up with the previous season's harvest and failed to export it (the current export volume is about 20% of the pre-war level), there may be nowhere for the new season's harvest, which will further dampen future plantings.
The Ukrainian side believes that this issue needs to be resolved in about two months.
Previously, the United Nations had proposed to open a grain corridor in the Black Sea, so that Ukraine could export grains through this, which would not only relieve the pressure on global food demand, but also prevent Ukrainian farmers from losing their money.
Cavusoglu believes that this proposal is reasonable and feasible, but also said that Moscow and Kyiv must negotiate this in order to break through the current predicament.
Smoke rises from the Azov steel plant in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol on May 5.
(Associated Press)
After the Russian-Ukrainian conflict broke out on February 24, in response to Western sanctions, Russia blocked hundreds of ships carrying Ukrainian grain for export in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
In terms of pre-war economic data, Ukraine is the fifth largest grain producer in the world. 10% of its gross domestic product (GDP) comes from the agriculture and food sectors, and more than 90% of its wheat and corn exports are transported through Black Sea ports. , Russia's move has indeed strangled Ukraine's economic lifeline, and it has also impacted global food security.
Although after the surrender of the Azov Steel Plant fighters on May 16, Russia began to clean up the area around the Mariupol port, inspecting more than 1.5 million square meters of water, and at the same time clearing the coastline of the Azov Sea. On May 25, a sea corridor to the Black Sea was opened, allowing foreign ships to leave the port of Mariupol, but the ports of Kherson, Nikolayev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Ao The waters of Port Desa, Port of Pifdene and other places are still blocked, and Mariupol alone is really hard to support.
In addition, although the EU and Uzbekistan tried to transport food by land, the results were not very satisfactory...
For details, please read the 321st issue of "Hong Kong 01" Electronic Weekly Newsletter (June 13, 2022) "The
Global Food Crisis Approaches the Black Sea Food Corridor, Still Difficulties
".
Click here
to try out the weekly e-newsletter for more in-depth reports.
Other exclusive selections from the
321st issue of "Hong Kong 01" e-Weekly News :
Perspective on the delisting of Chinese concept stocks: What is the role of Hong Kong in the ongoing financial war between China and the United States?
Twenty Years of Stolen MPF Hedging
Historical and cultural landmarks should not be rescued at the last minute
The Li Jiaqi Incident Tests China's Governance Flexibility
a dying johnson
From herding cows to making stars: the epitome of reform and opening up on Li Shufu's advanced road
Solid-state battery moves toward production could make electric vehicles more common