A food crisis is looming in many of the poorer regions of the world, and the disaster can only be avoided if the opening of the land corridor is successful in freeing grain from Ukraine, said István Nagy, Minister of Agriculture.Continue reading
Hungary is prepared to cooperate closely in helping to expand efforts to free grain stuck in Ukraine, said István Nagy, the minister of agriculture, after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart in Lviv on Thursday.
The current grain crisis concerns not just Ukraine and Hungary, but the entire world, the agriculture minister warned.
If Ukraine’s seaports remain closed and the country’s grain is not shipped out, parts of the world could face famine, and the people living there could set off for Europe, triggering a severe migrant crisis, István Nagy argued.
He urged immediate and long-term solutions to the grain crisis, underscoring that Hungary was prepared to cooperate in expanding efforts to move grain out of Ukraine. He emphasized the importance of developing rail transport, trans-shipment ports and silos, adding that the European Union may also support such investments.
Nagy called for the establishment of a business zone in the Hungary-Ukraine border region that could house grain processing facilities, arguing that such an investment would ensure long-term food security for the world.
But these border-region investments should also serve to expand bilateral economic ties, the minister said. “Our northeastern neighbor looks to Hungary as a solution to the ongoing crisis and has expressed its gratitude to the Hungarian government for its constructive approach,” the minister added.
Ukraine is the world’s fourth largest grain exporter, representing nine percent of the global market share of exports, he said. It also accounts for 42 percent of global sunflower oil and 16 percent of corn supplies, he noted.
“Before the war, our neighbor produced enough grain for 400 million people. Nearly 90 percent of its exports were handled through the Black Sea ports,” Nagy said.
The minister urged an immediate ceasefire and talks between Russia and Ukraine. Since the very beginning, Hungary has argued for peace, he noted. “Today it’s clear to everyone that the war hurts Europe the most,” István Nagy added.
Later in the day, the agriculture minister discussed grain exports with Viktor Mikita, head of the military administration of Transcarpathia.
Nagy said his discussions focused on operational and practical issues, and they agreed to prepare a joint action-plan to be presented to the European Union, with a request for funds to expand capacity at border crossings.
The 4,000 tons of wheat that cross the Ukraine-Hungary border each day could potentially be doubled by increasing efficiency, though this would not unlock the current logjam, he stressed.
“This is why a much bigger infrastructure investment is needed,” the minister noted.
Mikita said Transcarpathia had a big role to play in solving the grain crisis caused by the blockade of the Black Sea ports. Establishing alternative routes on land is an interstate project, though local public administrations must also play a role in this, he added.
via MTI
Featured image by János Vajda/MTI