If its ports weren’t blocked, Ukraine could export 60 million tonnes of grain in eight to nine months, but the Russian attack on the port of Odesa revealed it won’t be that simple, according to an economic adviser to the Ukrainian president on Sunday.
According to advisor Oleh Ustenko, Ukraine could make $10 billion by selling 40 million tonnes of its new harvest and 20 million tonnes of grain stored in silos. He stated that out of the overall crop of 60 million tonnes, 20 million are for domestic use.
He claimed that if the ports were opened up right away and 60 million tonnes of grain were to be transported, it would be done in eight to nine months.
The strike yesterday, however, ‘shows that it absolutely won’t work that way, given the manner they are opening now and what Russia is doing in the Black Sea,’ he said.
A day after an agreement was reached between Russia and Ukraine to reopen Black Sea ports and resume grain exports, mediated by the United Nations and Turkey, Russian missiles struck the port of Odesa. Moscow claims that it damaged military facilities.
The agreement is anticipated to reduce the effects of the war’s global food shortages.
If its ports are not operating effectively, Ukraine will require 20 to 24 months to export those volumes, he warned.
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