Türkiye has received highest share of foodstuff exported from Ukraine since grain deal, says UN

Over a quarter of grain and other foodstuff exported from Ukraine have landed in Türkiye since a deal was reached to resume shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports, the UN announced yesterday (August 16).

Since August 1, Türkiye received 26 percent of the shipments, followed by Iran and South Korea with 22 percent each, according to the data compiled by the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in İstanbul, which monitors the transportation.

China received 8 percent of Ukrainian grain exports, Ireland 6 percent, Italy 5 percent, Djibouti 4 percent and Romania 2 percent.

"From August 1 to 15, the JCC has authorized a total of 36 movements of vessels (21 outbound and 15 inbound) through the maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea to facilitate the safe exports of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizer, including ammonia, from Ukrainian ports," the center stated.

The ships have carried a total of 563,317 metric tons of grain and other foodstuffs, it said.

Last month, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal in İstanbul to reopen three Ukrainian Black Sea ports for exporting Ukrainian grain stuck due to the Russia-Ukraine war, which is now in its sixth month.

To oversee the process, the JCC in İstanbul was officially launched on July 27, comprising representatives from the three countries and the UN to enable safe transportation of commercial foodstuffs and fertilizers by merchant ships.

Since the first departure on August 1, a total of 21 ships carrying grain and wheat have so far left Ukrainian ports under the deal.

How the Ukraine grain deal works

Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to a grain export crisis from Ukraine, one of the largest grain exporting countries in the world. Ukraine accused Russia of stealing the grain in the places it occupied in Ukraine. Turkey is among the places where the stolen grain is sold, according to officials from Ukraine.

Russia denied stealing Ukraine's grain and says the disruption in the grain shipment is caused by the naval mines laid by Ukraine off the Black Sea coasts.

After diplomatic consultations, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal on July 22 to reopen three ports — Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny — for grain that has been stuck for months because of the invasion.

On July 27, a coordination center to implment the deal opened in İstanbul.

The duty of the center is to provide safe sea transportation of grain and similar food products to be exported from Ukraine.

It consists of five representatives – both military and civilian – each from Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the UN.

The center will register and monitor the departure of commercial ships via satellite, internet, and other communication means, and will carry out all its activities in coordination with the parties and the UN.

The ships will be inspected by joint inspection teams at locations deemed suitable for loading at Ukrainian ports and upon arrival at ports in Türkiye.

Nearly 4,900 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of the war on February 24, according to UN figures. Over 15 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 8.4 million that have fled to other countries.

(VK)