KIEV: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited the Ukrainian port city of Odessa to see the recently resumed export of grain.
According to the United Nations press agency on Friday, Guterres expressed satisfaction that food exports have resumed following an agreement with Russia, but he also expressed grief at the sight of the port's nearly empty terminals.
He also lauded the deal that the warring sides came to in July through UN and Turkish mediation. More than 600,000 tonnes of grain have departed Ukraine in 25 ships in less than a month, he said.
The UN Secretary Genral emphasised the need to ensure access to both Ukrainian and Russian food exports, according to the United Nation as quoted by DPA news report. The commodity markets and pricing depend on getting more food and fertiliser out of Russia and Ukraine, he said, adding that no one anticipated the initiative's implementation to be simple.
Ukrainian ports were closed for months following Russia's invasion of that country in February. One of the biggest exporters of grains worldwide is this nation.
Even though the UN had stated that the grain accord was vital due to the prospect of famine in African and Asian countries, a sizable portion of the cargo leaving Ukraine so far has gone to richer governments.
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