Kiev: According to Yury Vaskov, the nation's deputy minister of infrastructure, Ukraine intends to push for the UN-mediated Black Sea Grain Initiative to be extended for at least another year.
The UN-backed agreement, which was reached between Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey last July, allowed for the resumed shipment of wheat and other agricultural products that had been halted due to the conflict with Russia.
Vaskov claims that Kiev will also request authorization for new ports to be included in the agreement's purview. Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny are the three Ukrainian ports currently covered by the agreement.
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They export about 3 million tonnes per month collectively, but Vaskov estimated that the addition of the Nikolaev ports could increase this capacity by an additional 2 million tonnes.
This week, we'll present a formal proposal on the need to work on an extension. Because the Ukrainian and international agricultural markets need to be able to plan these volumes (of exports) in the long term, we will ask that it be extended for at least one year, the official said in an interview with Reuters.
Kiev would also demand more cargo inspection teams, he continued, "in order to eliminate the backlog of vessels awaiting inspection."
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Although the precise day has not yet been determined, the parties to the agreement are anticipated to begin discussions on an extension later this week. The initial 120-day agreement has already been extended once, in November, and unless an extension is reached, it will expire on March 18th.
Meanwhile, Russia has made it clear time and time again that it disapproves of the way the grain agreement is being carried out. The UN was required to assist Russia in resuming its own grain shipments via the Black Sea, which, while not specifically mentioned in Western sanctions, have been hindered by the restrictions.
