The Ukrainian minister wants to bring arms production to his country • Ukraine has so far exported 700 thousand tons of grain via the new Black Sea route

Ukraine has exported 700,000 tons of grain in recent months through the new Black Sea corridor. This is what Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture Mykola Solsky told Reuters news agency. According to Solsky, more than thirty ships have left Ukrainian seaports since August, but they have also transported other products.

Until last summer, Ukraine and Russia had an agreement on grain exports through the Black Sea, but Russia refused in July to extend the agreement. To circumvent the Russian blockade, the Ukrainians then established a “humanitarian corridor.” Ships are still able to reach the Bosphorus Strait through the territorial waters of Ukraine and friendly countries.

Exports through the new corridor represent only a small portion of trade before the large-scale Russian invasion. For example, after the 2020 harvest, Ukraine exported 45 million tons of grain products in one year, mainly through Black Sea ports.

Minister Solsky reported that his country also exchanged 2.3 million tons of agricultural products last month via small Ukrainian river ports on the Danube. In total, he said, Ukraine needs to export about 6 million tons per month to maintain agriculture “as a major sector of the economy.”

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