Concerns rise in East Africa as Russia pulls out of Ukrainian grain deal

KAMPALA: Far from the front lines of combat in Ukraine, the effects of Russia's decision to withdraw from an agreement that permitted the transport of Ukrainian agricultural goods through a secure Black Sea passageway are already being felt in the East African countries that are already shaken by global climate change, Al Jazeera reported.

The East African nation have been sustained by grain shipments from Ukraine.

Now, analysts fear, a termination of the deal might result in higher consumer costs and put more strain on farmers and aid agencies that are already struggling to respond to problems like conflict and drought.

“We already know or can predict to a fair degree the impact the pausing of exports from that region to the rest of the world, especially East Africa and the Horn of Africa, will have on food prices,” said Debisi Araba, a food policy strategist and former managing director at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), Al Jazeera reported. In July 2022, Turkey and the UN began talks on the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

As per the deal, the ships carrying fertiliser and agricultural items to sail from three Ukrainian ports to Turkey's Bosporus strait along carefully planned paths that skirted minefields and passed Russian warships.

Russia announced last week on Monday (July 17) that it was suspending its participation in a UN-brokered deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain. The agreement, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022, was scheduled to expire at 5 pm ET on Monday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced Moscow will not renew the agreement, saying it "has been terminated." The deal had allowed Ukraine to export grain by sea, as per the CNN report.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was hailed as a "beacon of hope" by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at a signing ceremony in Istanbul last year. Humanitarian organisations are now warning of potential food shortages.

As of now, the region (East Africa) already suffering from unpredictable weather, low agricultural yields, and livestock fatalities due to a rapidly warming world might be severely impacted by the termination of the deal, according to Al Jazeera.

For instance, Somalia is presently going through its worst drought in forty years. While Kenya, Djibouti, and Ethiopia have also received a sizable amount of grain via the Black Sea grain agreement, they stand to lose financially if shipments are halted or reduced.