Black Sea grain deal vital for global food security: UN

With little time left in the current term of the Black Sea grain agreement, the United Nations (UN) spoke in favor of extending the pact between Russia and Ukraine, whose fate remains uncertain.

“It is vital for global food security that this agreement should continue, fully implemented. The signing of the understanding represented a fundamental step in the fight against hunger, especially in developing countries,” said, in a statement, Martin Griffiths, coordinator of humanitarian affairs at the UN.

He also argued that maintaining the memorandum on Russian exports of food and fertilizers, which prevents sanctions on these products, would be essential.

Negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, the UN, and Turkey began a few weeks ago, and the main impasse is throughout the agreement’s extension. Russia remains firm in demanding a renewal of 60 days, while the other parties want at least 120 days, as happened the last time the deal was renewed, in November.

“We’ve made significant progress [in the negotiations for a renewal]. However, there are still challenges with Russian payment systems. There is still work to be done, and our efforts to overcome the remaining obstacles will continue unabated,” said Griffiths.

According to the UN, since it was implemented in July 2022, the Black Sea grain corridor has allowed almost 25 million tonnes of food from Ukraine to reach global markets.

To read the original news report, see: https://valor.globo.com/agronegocios/noticia/2023/03/17/acordo-de-graos-do-mar-negro-e-vital-para-seguranca-alimentar-no-mundo-afirma-onu.ghtml

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