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| The Black Sea grain deal is facing difficulties again. (Source: Reuters) |
Meanwhile, a UN spokesperson said that Russia had announced that Moscow would restrict the number of ships registering to enter the port of Pivdennyi, in Ukraine's Odesa province, until all parties agree to lift the barriers to ammonia shipments.
In July 2022, the UN and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grains Initiative to help address the global food crisis caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine – the world's leading grain exporter.
Within the framework of the initiative, Russia and the UN signed a memorandum of understanding on facilitating the supply of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to the world market. Meanwhile, Ukraine signed an agreement with Turkey and the UN on the export of safe food and fertilizers from Ukraine via the Black Sea.
On March 13, Russia agreed to extend the agreement for another 60 days, but warned it would terminate the initiative if another agreement was not reached to overcome barriers to its exports of food and fertilizers.
The demands put forward by Moscow included the resumption of ammonia shipments from Russia through Ukrainian territory to the port of Pivdennyi in Odessa – the export point for this commodity.
The transportation of ammonia gas, a key component of nitrogen fertilizers, has been temporarily halted following Russia's launch of a special military operation in Ukraine.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said there had been a "continuing slowdown" in the departure of ships under the Black Sea agreement from April to May 2023 and the average daily inspection rate for ships had dropped to three per day.
Currently, 50 ships are anchored in Turkish territorial waters awaiting inspection. These ships are ready to transport 2.4 million tons of food from Ukraine abroad, but some ships have to wait for inspection for more than three months.
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