KYIV. UkraineGate. 13. July . 2022 |Agriculture
Ukraine and Russia are major global wheat suppliers.
Russia is also an important exporter of fertilizers and Ukraine is an important producer of corn and sunflower oil.
The Russian invasion and naval blockade of Ukraine halted exports, leaving dozens of ships stranded and more than 20 million tons of grain in silos in Odessa.
The upcoming harvest is also at risk as Ukraine now suffers from a shortage of storage space due to the halt in exports.
The United States is also facilitating Russian grain and fertilizer exports that have been hampered by Western sanctions.
Even if a deal is reached to resume Ukrainian exports, diplomats say shipping and insurance companies will then ask for guarantees to resume trade given the risks of sailing in mined waters.
Ukraine fears that clearing its ports will make it more vulnerable to Russian attack from the Black Sea.
