Over 20 million tons of wheat blocked.
A full 22 million tonnes of wheat are stranded in Ukraine, with pressure mounting as new harvests begin.
The country distributes about 30 percent of its grain to Europe, 30 percent to North Africa and 40 percent to Asia. But with the Russian naval blockade, millions of tons of last year’s harvest cannot reach their intended destinations.
“There is no good price for our grains. Storage warehouses refuse cargo and people have to leave it here. The front line is not far. At any moment, everything can end with bombing, or by setting the fields on fire,” says farmer Yurii Vakulenkv.
Workers risk their lives every day and are often tripped by rockets found in the fields. Farmer Oleksandr Chubuk’s warehouse in central Ukraine should be empty, but it is filled with grain that he cannot export.
“Ukrainian grain cannot enter the international market as the ports are blocked. The sea route is the most important. For this reason, the demand for wheat has fallen. We are currently looking for some new logistics routes through Europe, but Europe cannot manage all this amount of grain that we produce”, says Chubuk.
Currently 30 percent of exports pass through the Danube River ports in the south-west of Ukraine. The country is trying to move grain through 12 border points with European countries, but trucks have to wait in line for days.