Spain has testing a new solution for the safe transport of Ukrainian grain

Grain transport by freight trains is an efficient and safe solution for Spain. (Photo: Pixabay)

In its statement, the ministry emphasized that the aim is to map whether rail freight can be an alternative or a supplement to the recently restarted sea grain transport from Ukraine. In the pilot program, 25 specially lined containers of the Spanish railway transport company (RENFE) were launched from Madrid’s Abronigal freight station on Tuesday evening. According to the plans, it will pick up the grain cargo in the Polish city of Chelm, located 25 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, in the fourth week of August, and then return to Barcelona, ​​located 2,400 kilometers away.

Spain is in great need of Ukrainian corn

The launch of the program is justified by the fact that, according to data from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Ukraine is Spain’s second largest corn supplier after Brazil. In 2021, 22 percent of imports, about 2.7 million tons of corn, came from the currently war-torn country. Since the fighting began in February, Ukrainian grain exports have been paralyzed, with millions of tons of grain left in storage due to the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and many ships stranded in port, further worsening the already dwindling global supply. On July 22, Russia and Ukraine, brokered by the UN and Turkey, agreed to establish safe maritime corridors for commercial shipping in the Black Sea. At the same time, Russia was granted permission to export agricultural products and fertilizer despite Western sanctions. The goal of the two conventions is to alleviate the global food crisis and prevent famine. After the blockade of several months, a ship carrying more than 26 thousand tons of corn left Odessa for the first time on the first of August. According to the authorities, a total of eight cargo ships have set sail so far.

MTI