The Washington Post discusses the renewal of the Black Sea grain deal between Russia and Ukraine, announced on November 17, and what it means to the involved parties and the global community.
The article quotes IFPRI’s analysis stating that before the war, Ukraine shipped about 75 percent of its agricultural exports through Black Sea ports. Of those exports, about half went through the three ports designated in the deal (Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny).
An extension of the agreement would prevent any immediate disruptions to grain supplies for countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Turkey, and Yemen, all of which have benefited from the deal, according to IFPRI.
IFPRI senior research fellows Joseph Glauber and David Laborde write, “Countries in the Middle East and North Africa are “dependent on Ukraine as a supplier of wheat and other grains, but they tend to buy more during the winter to supplement their own harvests. Renewed interruption in imports could increase food insecurity in these countries and potentially exacerbate political tensions.”