{"id":31481,"date":"2022-11-02T16:58:44","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T11:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarnewsgazette.com\/?p=31481"},"modified":"2022-11-03T17:02:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T12:02:37","slug":"explainer-why-the-black-sea-grain-deal-is-vital-for-global-food-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarnewsgazette.com\/explainer-why-the-black-sea-grain-deal-is-vital-for-global-food-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Explainer: Why the Black Sea Grain Deal Is Vital for Global Food Security"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
A landmark deal to allow grain exports from Ukraine, which was back on track Wednesday after being briefly suspended, has played a crucial role in easing a global food crisis sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brokered by the United Nations and Turkey and signed by Moscow and Kyiv on July 22, the agreement established a protected sea corridor to allow grain shipments to resume for the first time since the fighting began in February<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is what we know about the deal, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why was it needed?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When Russian troops attacked in late February, Moscow imposed a blockade on Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, halting all agricultural exports from one of the world’s breadbaskets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The move left 20 million metric tons of grain stranded in Ukraine’s ports, causing food prices to surge worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the war, up to 90% of Ukraine’s wheat, corn and sunflower exports were transported by sea, mostly from Odesa, with many developing countries relying heavily on Kyiv for grain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Agricultural commodity prices were high before the war because of the post-COVID-19 economic recovery, but the conflict pushed the price of grains such as wheat and corn to levels unsustainable for countries dependent on their import, such as Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does the deal cover?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The deal ensures the safe export of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia, from three Black Sea ports in southwestern Ukraine: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first grain ship to leave under the U.N.-backed deal set sail on August 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to U.N. figures as of November 1, a total of 9.7 million metric tons of grain and other agricultural products have been transported in the first three months of the initiative, the vast majority involving wheat and corn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Valid for 120 days, the agreement is up for renewal on November 19 in a process that can be done automatically without further negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The U.N. says extending the deal is crucial for global food security and is pushing for it to be renewed for one year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the initiative is working well, shipments are about 40-50% lower than what they were before Russia’s invasion, the U.N. says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How does it work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the U.N.’s website, the agreement establishes a safe corridor between the three Ukrainian ports and an area in Turkish waters where the vessels are inspected before being allowed to continue their journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To monitor the agreement, a joint command and control center was set up in Istanbul to oversee smooth operations and resolve disputes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Known as the Joint Coordination Center (JCC), the JCC has four teams of eight inspectors \u2014 two each from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These teams inspect outbound vessels carrying grain at the Turkish inspection area to ensure all merchandise is approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The teams also examine empty ships returning to Ukraine to ensure they are not carrying any weapons or other unauthorized goods or people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safe passage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The deal establishes a buffer zone of 10 nautical miles around each vessel traveling along the corridor with no military ships, equipment or drones allowed within that radius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All ship movements logged by the JCC are transmitted to the relevant military authorities to prevent any incidents, with any violations or threats to be handled by the JCC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the start of the war, Ukraine mined its main Black Sea ports to head off threats of a Russian attack from the sea, but experts said it would take too long to de-mine all these areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The deal allows Ukrainians to guide the ships along safe routes that avoid known mine fields and into and out of its territorial waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deal briefly suspended<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On October 29, Russia said it was suspending its participation in the deal, accusing Ukraine of using the shipping corridor to launch a drone attack on its Black Sea fleet in Crimea’s Sevastopol port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a call between the Russian and Turkish defense ministers, the deal resumed operation at 0900 GMT on November 2 with Moscow saying it had received written guarantees from Kyiv ensuring the corridor would not be used for attacking Russian forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: Voice of America<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A landmark deal to allow grain exports from Ukraine, which was back on track Wednesday after being briefly suspended, has played a crucial role in easing a global food crisis sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Brokered by the United Nations and Turkey and signed by Moscow and Kyiv on July 22, the agreement … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n