Exporting millions of tons of grain from Ukraine by ships is hardly possible, say experts from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW). To export 20 million tonnes of last year’s grain stored in Ukraine, it is necessary to send about 570 ships, they calculated. “Now the grain harvest is starting again, for which storage is urgently needed, so other transport options such as trains and trucks must be fully utilized,” said Vincent Stamer, head of the Kiel Trade Indicator at IfW, on Friday. Friday, August 5th.

The export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea began on August 1

On July 22, an agreement was signed in Istanbul with the Russian Federation and Ukraine, through the mediation of the UN and Turkey, whose objective is to end the blockade of Ukrainian ports. It is assumed that exports will be carried out from three Ukrainian ports – Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. The day after the deal was concluded, on July 23, the port of Odessa was hit by rockets from the Russian side.

On August 1, the first freighter with Ukrainian grain left the port of Odessa, two days later it was dispatched in Istanbul and headed for Lebanon. On 5 August, the Turkish Ministry of Defense reported that three more ships carrying Ukrainian grain had gone to sea – the dry cargo ships Polarnet and Rojen stationed in Chornomorsk headed respectively to Karasu (Turkey) and British Teesport, and Navistar left the port of Odessa with maize destined for landing in Ireland. In total, there are more than 58,000 tons of corn on board these ships.

More than 20 million tonnes of last year’s crop are still waiting to be exported, according to Ukrainian officials. It became impossible due to the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.