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Rabat – The UN has expressed satisfaction with its recent Ukraine export deal, enabling vessels loaded with grain and essential foodstuff to leave Ukrainian ports.
Interim UN Coordination Frederick Kenny said this week that the supranational group is expecting to see a “big upstick in applications for transit.”
The UN seeks to see more vessels with over two to five tonnes of grain leaving Ukrainian ports, saying that this is “achievable.”
Kenny emphasized that the first 12 ships approved to leave the three Black Sea ports as part of the export deal were carrying 370,000 tonnes of corn and foodstuffs.
Four more ships are expected to travel to Ukraine to load more goods.
The commercial shipments will supply the global market, which suffered from severe price fluctuations due to fears of supply reduction due to the Ukraine-Russian conflict.
Both Ukraine and Russia are among the top producers of grain, fertilizers, and cooking oil across the world.
The recent conflict resulted in skyrocketing prices of essentials as the speculative markets feared upcoming shortages.
In July, Russia and Ukraine agreed to relaunch grain exports following a months-long blockade of the Ukrainian coastline, which contributed to an already existing global food crisis, with worrying levels of hunger and malnourishment growing over the past few years.
Over 20 million tonnes of grains have remained trapped in Ukraine due to the blockade. The harvest is from the previous year’s crop, as well as 2022 wheat yields.
Kenny emphasized the importance to see the vessels out from Ukraine “so that we can bring ships in to load cargoes that will be destined for ports that will contribute to reducing global food insecurity.”
He added that any ship going out from Ukrainian ports will help improve the situation.
