Grain Deal to Give Short-Term Relief While World Needs More Diverse Food System, Experts Warn

© Sputnik / Viktor Tolochko / Go to the mediabankGrain crops harvesting
Grain crops harvesting - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.07.2022
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Istanbul grain deal is only a temporary solution to the global food crisis exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine, and a new, more decentralized and diverse global food system is needed, experts told Sputnik.
On Friday, Ukrainian and Russian representatives signed a deal brokered by Turkey and the UN in Istanbul on lifting restrictions on the supply of Russian products for export and Moscow's assistance in the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.
"If all parties adhere to the UN-brokered deal on Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports, this is a temporary measure that will provide important short-term relief at a time when food insecurity is unacceptably high due to surging global food prices," William Moseley, a member of the UN High Level Panel of Experts for Food Security and Nutrition, said.
This deal will help some farmers get the resources they need to grow their crops, but for others, the deal came too late as the planting season is over in the northern hemisphere, the expert noted.
"While these agreements are welcome news, beyond these short-term measures we need to develop a more decentralized and diverse global food system, where more countries grow a larger share of their own food," Moseley said, adding that countries should not be dependent on the supply of such agricultural inputs as inorganic fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides.
Grain loading at the Kalmychanka farm, Lugansk People's Republic. - Sputnik International, 1920, 20.07.2022
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Since the World Food Programme (WFP) historically purchased large amounts of grain from Ukraine, it would be useful for the WFP to have a priority right to buy Ukrainian grain when new stocks enter the market, according to the expert.
Rob Vos, a director of the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), also warned that food security is affected by many factors and the grain deal alone will not be enough. At the same time, he admitted that the deal will help reduce global food prices, while prices for wheat and corn have already decreased.
"The deal is important because there is no good alternative for salvaging all grains and oil seeds stored in silos. Exporting Ukrainian grains over land and through Europe could never replace the Black Sea as such logistics capacity is very limited," Vos said.
The export of grain across the sea will be beneficial for all countries that depend on supplies from Russia and Ukraine, he noted. The implementation of this deal in the second half of the year is important since that is the period when Ukraine exports the most grain, Vos added.
"Storage capacity constraints will become extreme by this fall unless more grain can be exported. So it is important that the deal lasts," he said.
Though, according to the expert, world markets remain tight and full of uncertainty, as evidenced by the continued high volatility in the grain markets.
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