The Importance Of Grains For The World, The United Nations Urges New Black Sea Export Agreement To Continue

JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) has urged negotiations on the sustainability of a new grain export agreement from the Black Sea to be agreed upon immediately. The United Nations hopes that Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey will continue the deal at a meeting that takes place in Istanbul, Friday, May 5.

"We urge all parties to continue their talks, address operational challenges, and work towards the full implementation and sustainability of the initiative," UN Deputy Spokesperson General Farhan Haq told a news briefing.

He hopes that the meeting in Istanbul attended by technical officials from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations to discuss the Black Sea's export agreement will continue with a high-ranking official meeting.

According to Farhan, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul has yet to reach an agreement to allow new ships to participate in the Black Sea seed initiative.

"JCC is continuing its daily inspection work on ships that have previously received permission," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, May 6.

The head of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) economist Maximo Torero assessed that the agreement had played an important role by increasing the availability of grains for the world and lowering prices.

Russia and Ukraine, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, signed an agreement to continue exporting grains from three Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, which had stalled after the war broke out between Moscow and Kiev.

The agreement signed in July 2022 will expire on 18 May.