Geneva, Nov 19: A breakthrough has been made on hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian-made fertiliser blocked in European ports, which is vital to avoid a global food insecurity crisis next year, a senior United Nations official said on Friday.
Nearly 11.2 million tons of essential foodstuffs have been shipped from three Ukrainian ports since the Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed on July 22 by Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations. The agreement is aimed at ensuring food supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict.
However, 300,000 tons of Russian fertiliser remain stranded in various European ports, according to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan.
Grynspan welcomed Thursday’s extension of the initiative, which expires on Saturday, by 120 days.