EU plan aims to help get wheat from Ukraine to the world
Source: Associated Press
EU plan aims to help get wheat from Ukraine to the world
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
May 12, 2022
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission proposed helping Ukraine export its wheat and other grains by rail, road and river to get around a Russian blockade of Black Sea ports, which is preventing those critical supplies from reaching parts of the world at risk of food insecurity.
The European Union’s executive arm said the plan aims to establish alternative routes and ease congestion between borders that also should facilitate getting humanitarian aid and other goods into the war-torn country.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has provoked disruptions of global food supplies, with both countries two of the world’s biggest exporters of wheat, barley and sunflower oil. The blockade of Ukrainian ports has been particularly harmful, having accounted for 90% of grain and oilseed exports before the war, the commission said.
“Twenty million tons of grains have to leave Ukraine in less than three months using the EU infrastructure,” said Adina Valean, EU commissioner for transport. “This is a gigantesque challenge, so it is essential to coordinate and optimize the logistic chains, put in place new routes, and avoid, as much as possible, the bottlenecks.”
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-health-middle-east-f980a51dab3412aba611277821e2822b
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