More than 560,000 tonnes of grain has been exported from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports since Russia agreed to lift its naval blockade on July 22, according to the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC).
The JCC, which was inaugurated in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 27 following the Black Sea Grain Initiative launched by the Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations, said the grain was carried on 21 outbound vessels between Aug. 1 and Aug. 15.
The shipments have included 451,481 tonnes of corn, 50,300 tonnes of sunflower meal, 41,622 tonnes of wheat, 11,000 tonnes of soybeans, 6,000 tonnes of sunflower oil, and 2,914 tonnes of sunflower seed, according to the JCC.
The destinations of Ukrainian exports so far include Turkey (26%), Iran (22%), Republic of Korea (22%) and China (8%), according to the JCC.
The JCC said it has conducted 27 inspections through its joint inspection teams on inbound and outbound vessels. All ships inspected so far were cleared, it said.
Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain exporters, had been unable to export grain through its Black Sea ports for five months following Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24. It is estimated that Ukraine has more than 20 million tonnes of grain in storage at its Black Sea port terminals, with additional grain being brought in from the new harvest.