The Black Sea grain agreement must be extended

The Black Sea grain agreement, which expires on July 18, must be extended and expanded, so that Ukrainian agricultural products can once again reach the southern European member states, Africa and the Middle East via the traditional routes – Minister of Agriculture István Nagy said, who met with Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı in Ankara on Tuesday.

(Photo: AM/István Fekete)

At the meeting, the minister drew attention to the fact that Turkey’s role is crucial in the Russian-Ukrainian war, as it maintains excellent relations with both sides. He emphasized that due to the war conflict, the Ukrainian grain flowing in at the borders of the five frontline countries causes serious market difficulties and poses serious challenges to the farmers. Hungary continues to support the operation of the European Union Solidarity Corridor, which is intended to help the land transport of Ukrainian grain. However, the corridor did not live up to our expectations and proved unable to replace Black Sea shipping. The difficulties can be solved if the Ukrainian grain can once again reach its destination countries, the southern European member states, Africa and the Middle East via the traditional routes, he added. István Nagy reminded that since the establishment of the grain agreement last July, about 1,080 ships loaded with grain and other foodstuffs left three Ukrainian ports with more than 30 million tons of cargo, 50% of which was corn.

The minister emphasized that our responsibility is historic

If it is possible to extend the agreement and remove more than the three ports from the blockade, it would both serve to protect the European countries concerned and meet the needs of developing countries in need. Otherwise, the EU grain market could be completely paralyzed, and food insecurity would force more and more people to migrate, increasing migratory pressure and tensions. On behalf of the five frontline countries, the minister requested the intercession of his negotiator in order to facilitate the extension of the agreement, as well as to free up additional ports in addition to the current three.

István Nagy invited his Turkish minister colleague to our country for further negotiations

There are many issues in the relations between the two countries that require further discussion, since, as you said, we are bound together by a thousand threads. The head of the ministry also mentioned livestock breeding and the food industry, as well as the renewal of Hungarian agriculture, in which we also count on Turkish investors.

AM