6-mln-tonne grain leaves Ukraine to global markets under UN-backed initiative

ISTANBUL, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Under the UN-sponsored Black Sea Grain Initiative, the grain transported from Ukrainian ports to global markets has exceeded 6 million tonnes, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.

In a statement on Twitter on Tuesday, the ministry announced that 260 vessels have so far left Ukraine, carrying foodstuffs, such as corn, wheat, sunflower, sugar beet, soybean and peas, to the rest of the world.

"Safe and secure shipment continues in the grain corridor," it stated.

Another ministry statement on Thursday said 13 more ships loaded with grain departed Ukrainian ports in the last two days.

According to a UN statement released in mid-September, 27 percent of the cargo went to low and lower-middle-income countries and food prices were decreasing.

The transported grain "benefits people in need, as it helps to calm markets and limit food price inflation," the UN statement said.

Baris Doster, a Turkish geopolitical expert, hailed the efforts of delivering foodstuffs to impoverished countries, noting the philosophical and moral dimensions of a grain corridor besides its diplomatic, economic and geopolitical ones.

"Considering underdeveloped, developing, or low-income countries, the opening of this grain corridor was a pressing and critical need for them," Doster told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Ukraine, one of the world's largest grain exporters, used to supply about 45 million tonnes of it to the global market annually until 2022.

However, since the crisis in Ukraine began in late February, grain exports from Ukraine and food and fertilizers from Russia have been significantly disrupted, leading to a global food crisis and soaring prices.

In July, the United Nations, Russia, Türkiye, and Ukraine agreed on the Black Sea Grain Initiative at a signing ceremony in Istanbul, allowing exports from Ukrainian ports through a safe maritime humanitarian corridor on the Black Sea and established a Joint Coordination Center to implement the deal.

Vessels from and to Ukraine undergo inspection off the coasts of Istanbul by the joint center to ensure the security of the entire shipment process.