Odesa Port Shutdown Threatens Global Food Security, Ukraine Warns

Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotskyi, warned that Russia's attacks on Odesa ports pose a significant risk to global food security. The shutdown of these ports would lead to a shortage of essential goods worldwide, including wheat exports from the Black Sea region.

Vysotskyi noted that 30% of the world's wheat exports come from this area, primarily destined for North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. He emphasized that there is no alternative to Odesa ports, which can handle up to 5.5 million metric tons of goods per month.

Alternative routes, such as Danube ports and rail transport, can only replace up to 30% of the export capacity of Greater Odesa's ports. Vysotskyi predicted that global food prices could increase by 25%, similar to what happened in 2022, if exports through these ports are not fully restored.

The minister stated that securing financial liquidity for farmers is the government's main task. A model has been developed with agricultural sector stakeholders to provide access to funds using harvested crops as collateral.