In the context of the global food insecurity crisis looming, ‘breakthrough’ in fertilizers is hailed |
Development goes hand in hand with innovation Black Sea Grains Initiativeexpired on Saturday.
“We are really pleased with the expansion of the Black Sea Grains Initiative,” he said UNCTAD Secretary General Rebeca Grynspan. “It’s very good news for the world, for the food insecurity crisis we’re going through, and it’s an important contribution to solving the problem.”
Success weight
Nearly 11.2 million tons of essential food has been shipped from three Ukrainian ports as part of an agreement involving Türkiye, Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations, since it was signed on July 22.
Amid the looming global food insecurity emergency, Ms. Grynspan explained that 300,000 tons of Russian fertilizer are still “stranded” in various European ports.
She added: “We know that today’s affordability crisis will be tomorrow’s availability crisis if we don’t face this challenge.
Fertilizer ‘crisis’
A negotiated solution to the “fertilizer crisis” involving the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) was found, which will see a ship laden with Russian fertilizer departing from the Netherlands for Malawi via Mozambique next Monday.
“We have a working model, (that it is) a humanitarian act,” explains Ms. Grynspan. “WFP is the unit responsible for transporting fertilizers from ports to countries that need fertilizer. And this is a donation from Uralchem/Uralkali – it’s a Russian company.”
in the pipe
Answering questions about the reopening of the ammonia gas pipeline from Russia to the Black Sea, UNCTAD The secretary general said that she was “optimistic that this could happen”, with the consent of the Ukrainians and Russians.
“Ammonia is included in the Black Sea Grains Initiative – explicitly – in the Memorandum of Understanding with Russia.” She says this doesn’t necessarily mean a new deal.
“The goal is to ease the pain many developing countries are experiencing due to the food and fertilizer, energy and financial crises we are facing today, which the Secretary-General has called perfect storm.”
