AGENCIES
July 6: The United Nations has expressed its concerns about the fate of a grain exports deal for Ukraine, which it says could collapse within a fortnight, threatening food security for the world's most vulnerable.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) aimed at easing a global food crisis is set to expire on July 17 unless Russia, which launched an invasion of Ukraine launched on February 24, 2022, agrees to its renewal.

According to the AFP, Moscow is unhappy about the operation of the deal's parallel agreement on Russian food and fertiliser exports, and said Tuesday that it saw no reason to extend the BSGI.

"No doubt we are worried because the two agreements signed in Istanbul are very important for food security and for the developing countries in the global south," AFP quoted Rebeca Grynspan, head of the UN's trade and development agency UNCTAD, as saying to reporters in Geneva.

UNCTAD has been a major player in brokering the deals along with Turkey, a NATO member which enjoys a cordial relation with Russia.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine for its inclination towards NATO saw Ukraine's Black Sea ports blocked by warships until the agreement, signed in July 2022, allowed for the passage of critical grain exports.

The initial 120-day agreement struck with the UN and Turkey last July has been extended three times: in November, March and in May, reported the AFP.

“The parallel agreement, between Moscow and the UN, is aimed at facilitating the export of Russian food and fertilisers, which are exempt from Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine war. But Russia claims this parallel agreement is not being upheld.”

Ukraine was one of the world's top grain exporters, and the deal has helped ease the global food crunch triggered by the conflict.

Some 32.8 million tonnes of food grains have been exported so far under the agreement, according to the UN. Just over half of the exports have been corn, while more than a quarter have been wheat.