“On July 17 the Russian government announced that it was pulling out of a deal to facilitate the export of millions of tons of grain from Ukrainian ports. The arrangement had been in place since July 2022. The Kremlin’s move immediately sparked concern, particularly in food insecure countries,” NPR reports.
Joseph Glauber, a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), says Russia has been criticized for dragging their heels on inspections and repeatedly threatening to pull out of the deal. “Having said that,” he added, “you’re still talking about 33.5 million tons of agricultural product going out last year, which is remarkable.”
Glauber says that the suspension of the deal is “unfortunate” and exacerbates an already difficult situation.
“The reality is that there is less grain to ship. If Ukraine will be producing half the amount it usually does over the next year or so, that’s a deficit the world has to make up.”
Republished in Farms.com, and multiple public radio outlets.
