Russia torpedoes Black Sea Grain Initiative and food security

Moscow/Washington/New York: As Russia decides to stop its support of the United Nations-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative meant to ensure a continued supply of food grain from Ukraine to the world, the move is bound to severely impact global food security. Regretting Russia’s suspension of its participation in the operations of the Initiative, the United States today (IST) urged “all parties” (read Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN) to keep this “essential, life-saving” Initiative functioning.

With the close monitoring and coordination of the Joint Coordination Centre, comprising representatives from the Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations under the terms of the agreement signed in Istanbul, the Black Sea Grain Initiative has already moved more than 9 million metric tons of food and brought prices down around the world, which has been critically important for low- and middle-income countries.  

“It has been a success and must continue,” US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken stated.

On October 28, 2022, just a day before Russia announced the suspension of its support to the Initiative, the UN Secretary-General, Antònio Guterres expressed his “unwavering commitment and strong support to the renewal and full implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, as well as for the full implementation of the agreement signed with the Russian Federation”.  Both agreements aim to ensure that grain and fertilizers from Ukraine and the Russian Federation reach global markets at the speed and price needed to avert a global food crisis and ensure food security.  

However, on October 29, Russia announced it can no longer guarantee the safety of civilian dry cargo ships participating in the Black Sea Grain Initiative and will suspend its implementation for an indefinite period with immediate effect. Russian foreign ministry issued a statement saying that the decision was taken because on October 29, led by British specialists, the Ukrainian Armed Forces under the cover of the humanitarian corridor set up for the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products, launched a “massive” air and sea strikes using drones against the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s ships and infrastructure at the naval base in Sevastopol. Russia termed the attack as terrorist attacks which were directed, in particular, against Russian ships ensuring the functioning of the humanitarian corridor.

While Russia issued corresponding instructions to its representatives in the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which is in charge of the transportation of Ukrainian food products, Washington today urged Moscow to resume its participation in the Initiative, fully comply with the arrangement, and work to ensure that people around the world continue to be able to receive the benefits facilitated by the Initiative.

If food and fertilizers do not reach global markets now, farmers will not have fertilizers at the right time and at a price they can afford as the planting season begins, endangering crops in all regions of the world in 2023 and 2024, with dramatic effect on food production and food prices worldwide.  The current crisis of affordability will turn into a crisis of availability, according to Guterres.

“Any act by Russia to disrupt these critical grain exports is essentially a statement that people and families around the world should pay more for food or go hungry.  In suspending this arrangement, Russia is again weaponizing food in the war it started, directly impacting low- and middle-income countries and global food prices, and exacerbating already dire humanitarian crises and food insecurity,” Blinken stated.

The initial duration of the agreement to facilitate grains and fertilizer exports from Ukraine was 120 days and could have been extended automatically on November 19, 2022,  if no party objected. The impact of the agreement signed in Istanbul was demonstrated. The exports of grains and other food products under the Initiative surpassed 9 million tons, 

Guterres urged all parties to make every effort to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative and implement both agreements to their fullest, including the expedited removal of any remaining impediments to Russian grain and fertilizer export.