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Turkiye says Ukraine grain exports could start within a week

27 July 2022 10:36 (UTC +04:00)

Turkiye said grain exports from Ukrainian ports could resume within a week and reach 25 million tonnes by the end of the year after it brokered a deal between Kyiv and Moscow that eased fears of a global food crisis, APA reports citing Bloomberg.

Exactly when exports halted by Russia's invasion would begin will be determined by logistical groundwork, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, Mr. Ibrahim Kalin, said in an interview on Tuesday (July 26).

As many as 100 vessels carrying grain and agricultural products were trapped in Ukrainian ports when war broke out. The United Nations (UN) expects the first to move within a few days, and an adviser to global insurers have proposed a mechanism that might help cover the trade.

Still, hitting Mr. Kalin's forecast for exports by December could be challenging.

Analysis firm UkrAgroConsult says that the Black Sea ports in question - Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi - have a maximum combined capacity of 3.5 million tons a month.

Turkiye is due to open a joint operations center with Ukraine, Russia, and the UN on Wednesday to coordinate trade under the agreement.