2022 Grain Corridor Model Could Be Adapted to Current Conditions — Turkish Business
The grain corridor model established in 2022 with the mediation of Turkey and the United Nations could be adapted to current conditions to restore safe shipping in the Black Sea, İsmail Ziya Uzel, president of the Turkish-Ukrainian Business Council (DEİK), said.
According to Uzel, the parties should create a new mechanism to guarantee the safe passage of merchant vessels. He proposed that vessel movements be monitored not by military personnel but by international maritime experts whose nominations would be agreed upon by all sides.
DEİK said the restoration of the grain corridor has now moved beyond regional trade and has become an issue of global food security. Attacks on vessels in the Black Sea have brought shipping almost to a standstill, disrupting grain trade and creating risks for global markets.
Uzel said Russia and Ukraine account for about 32% of global grain production, making it practically impossible to transport such volumes without maritime shipping. If the crisis continues, the global grain market could face a price shock similar to the one experienced by the energy sector over the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, he said.
He also stressed that road, rail or any other mode of transport cannot replace maritime shipping for such volumes of grain. This view was supported by Başaran Bayrak, chairman of the board of Turkey’s Chamber of Shipping (İMEAK), who said no alternative mode of transport could match the capacity of maritime routes.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion, it blocked Ukraine’s deep-sea ports. To restore their operation, the “grain deal” came into effect on Aug. 1, 2022. The agreement was concluded between Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations.
On June 17, 2023, Russia withdrew from the grain deal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time that the decision was prompted by the failure to implement the part of the agreement concerning Russia.
