Ukraine and UN chief call for new grain deal to safeguard global food supplies

theguardian.com:

Ukraine’s president and the UN secretary general have called for a vital deal allowing Russian and Ukrainian wheat and fertilisers to be exported through the Black Sea to be extended, amid reports that Moscow does not intend to renew its participation.

Ukraine and Russia signed the UN-backed deal for an initial 120 days last July, allowing the export of millions of tonnes of grain from blockaded Black Sea ports, a move which was seen as averting the threat of a global food crisis.

A subsequent November extension to the Black Sea Grain Initiative for a further four months is scheduled to expire on 18 March, unless it is extended.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy and António Guterres said on Wednesday they backed the renewal of the deal, but Russia has already signalled it is unhappy with aspects of the agreement, prompting grain traders to warn of potential risks to supplies, and the impact on global grain prices.

Guterres said the initiative had enabled the export of 23m tonnes of grain from Ukrainian ports to date.

“It contributed to lowering the global cost of food and has offered critical relief to people, who are also paying a high price for this war, particularly in the developing world,” he said, adding that he wanted to “underscore the critical importance of the rollover”.

Before the war, exports from Russia and Ukraine accounted for about 30% of the global wheat trade.

Prior to the conflict, between 5m and 6m tonnes of grain were exported each month from Ukraine’s seaports, according to the International Grains Council (IGC), an intergovernmental body that seeks to promote cooperation in the global grain trade.

The volume carried by ships through the grain corridor gained momentum towards the end of 2022, according to Arnaud Petit,