The UN is expecting a Russian delegation in Geneva next week for discussions to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the UN’s secretary-general, said at a press briefing this week. The UN-brokered export pact is up for renewal on March 18.
The meeting will reportedly include discussions with Rebeca Grynspan, who has been working to clear obstructions for Russian exports, including fertilizer, according to Bloomberg. Grynspan is the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development.
Russia has shipped 40 million tons of grain abroad since July 1, Interfax reported on March 8, citing Roman Nekrasov, Director of the Crop Production Department at the country’s Agriculture Ministry. This means the country has already met at least two-thirds of the ministry’s 55-60 million ton grain-export forecast for the season, Bloomberg reported.
Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Partushev, in an interview with Kommersant, said Russia will have 30 million tons of grains from the current agricultural year, which runs from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, to be sold in the next season thanks to the record crop and slow exports at the start of the season.
Cargill Inc., the world’s top agricultural commodities trader, said this week that rising grain exports from Ukraine are sparking optimism that the Black Sea Grain Initiative will be renewed.
The increase in Ukraine’s shipments of corn, wheat, and barley is helping push down world food costs after they jumped to a record in 2022. “There is political support from around the world to keep the corridor open,” Cargill CEO David MacLennan said in an interview with Bloomberg. “As long as that is the case, we will continue to help farmers and help product out of the country.”