Europe Receives 40%, Africa 12% Of Grain Under Russian-Ukrainian Deal

Under the recently extended Black Sea Grain Initiative, Europe received 40% while African countries got 12% of the grain transported through the humanitarian maritime corridor, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Friday.

"As part of the ongoing shipment, the number of vessels that left Ukrainian ports reached 851 as of yesterday (March 30). About 40% of the grain that passed through the corridor was transported to Europe, 30% to Asia, 13% to Turkey, 12% to Africa and 5% to the middle East," the statement read.

Since the extension of the deal from March 19, 31 vessels have transported 1,215,354 tonnes of grain through the humanitarian maritime corridor, exceeding a total of 25 million tonnes, according to the statement.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, also known as the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports, signed between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations in July 2022, provides for the export of Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizers over the Black Sea from three ports, including Odesa.

The package agreement also includes a memorandum of understanding between Russia and the UN to unblock Russian grain and fertilizer exports via the Black Sea, which, according to Moscow, has not been implemented amid Western sanctions.

Earlier in March, Russia extended the deal for 60 of possible 120 days. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that most of the ships carrying Ukrainian grain did not reach the world's poorest countries and ended up in Europe.