There is talk in Turkey about the need for a "grain deal." What you need to know
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on the morning of November 24 that in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which took place later that day, he was going to raise the issue of reopening the grain corridor again. The restoration of this initiative is crucial for strengthening global food stability. Why these supplies are so important is in the Izvestia article.
What is a grain corridor?
• The standoff between Russia and Ukraine has increased concerns about global food security. Both countries are among the largest exporters of agricultural products. According to the US Department of Agriculture, in March 2022, Russia accounted for 16% and Ukraine for 10% of global wheat exports.
• The Black Sea Grain Initiative, or the Grain Deal, was a set of two interrelated documents. The first is the Initiative for the Safe Transportation of Grain and Food from Ukrainian Ports. It provided for the creation of a safe corridor across the Black Sea for the export of grain, food and fertilizers. The vessels departed from three Black Sea ports: Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. Control over the loading (more precisely, to ensure that there were no weapons on board instead of grain) was carried out by representatives of Turkey and the United Nations.
• The second document is the "Memorandum of Understanding between the Russian Federation and the UN Secretariat." It was aimed at ensuring unhindered exports of Russian food and fertilizers, as well as removing obstacles created by the United States and the EU in the financial, insurance and logistics sectors. Together, both agreements were supposed to provide conditions for the safe and stable movement of agricultural products, ensuring control, coordination and international export support.
There were clauses in the deal about:
- connecting the Rosselkhoznadzor to the SWIFT system,
- resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery with maintenance and components
- lifting restrictions on insurance and reinsurance
- restoration of the Tolyatti—Odessa ammonia pipeline
- unblocking of foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies related to the production and transportation of food and fertilizers.
Why did Russia withdraw from the initiative
• Russia has repeatedly stressed that the Kiev structures did not use the humanitarian corridor for its intended purpose. Under his cover, Ukraine carried out strikes and provocations against Russian ships and infrastructure on the coast. In addition, commitments to improve access conditions for Russian products and fertilizers to international markets, as well as all key Russian conditions, have not been fulfilled.
• Russia noted that more than 40% of Ukrainian grain goes not to poor countries, but to well-off EU countries. European countries were the main buyers, as they received products at a lower price. It was beneficial for both them and the Ukrainian side. Moscow stressed that the corridor had become a commercial project, and clarified that the poorest countries accounted for about 3% of supplies. Against the background of gross violations of the agreements, Russia withdrew from the initiative in July 2023.
Discussion on the restoration of the corridor
• Turkey, according to its statements, sought to ensure grain supplies to both African states and European countries, but this was only partially achieved. In this regard, the country will try to revive the deal.
• The return to the grain initiative is an important step towards ensuring global food sustainability. Against the background of Western countries' failure to comply with the terms of the deal, Russia, on its own initiative, helped the world's poorest countries. In particular, in 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation supplied 200 thousand tons of wheat free of charge to six least affluent countries in Africa.
• The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) announced the need to restore the route in November. The ICC has already played a significant role in promoting the grain agreement in 2022-2023. It was this organization that proposed to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in the spring of 2022 to create a humanitarian corridor allowing the export of Ukrainian grain and Russian fertilizers. After the termination of the agreement in 2023, the ICC called for continued dialogue on its revival. The organization stressed that the discussion should take into account the initial idea, that is, the facilitation of agricultural exports for both Russia and Ukraine.
Is it possible to resume the "grain deal"
• The restart of the grain corridor is possible only if all parties can agree on a mechanism to monitor the fulfillment of obligations. Without this, any agreements will be short-lived. Countries and international organizations interested in uninterrupted food supplies are discussing possible control formats.
• Since the European countries and Ukraine have not fulfilled the key points of the previous agreements, even more transparent conditions are needed to restore the route. This may include increased international monitoring and the participation of additional observers. The possibility of restoring the route largely depends on the political will of the participants and on the willingness of international organizations to take on the role of mediator.
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