Theft, war damage, and more are complicating the Ukraine export crisis, further squeezing tight world grain supplies and fueling food inflation. The world grain stocks problem starts this year in Ukraine.
“Can some of those stocks be taken by Russia and shipped back to Russia, and enter the world market through those means?” USDA World Ag Outlook Board Chair Mark Jekanowski asked during a USDA webinar last week. “Or how much of the stocks that we assume are remaining in the country might have been damaged because of the war, itself?”
Even if stored or new grain can get out of the country by land, the volumes can’t come close to shipments out of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports that are blocked by Russia. Experts say those dependent on Ukraine can get wheat and other supplies, but the cost has gone up as much as 40 percent.
NAFB contributed to this report.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.