According to U.S. Agriculture Department Secretary Tom Vilsack, Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea must be opened to ship grain, thereby relieving global food supply strains, reports The Wall Street Journal.
“The world needs Ukrainian grain,” said Vilsack at The Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum on Monday. “It is important for us to take steps to do the best we can to open the ports so the grain currently in Ukraine can be exported to North Africa and the Middle East.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced wheat futures prices up and puts pressure on a supply chain that is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Food supplies globally are suffering, including prices for pantry staples, cooking oils, and livestock feed for meat, according to analysts.
Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain-producing regions, is still sending small amounts of grain by train toward Poland’s Baltic ports; however, agricultural executives warn that the process is slow, and is not a reasonable substitute for a long-term solution.
The UN is negotiating with Russia and Kyiv to open grain shipment through the Black Sea. Russian attacks, however, recently damaged grain terminals and continue to threaten Ukrainian exports, according to WSJ. Full Story
Related: WTO Leader Forewarns Global Food Crisis; Panel: War in Ukraine’s Impact on the Global Food System