Today, the Ukrainian delegation together with Turkey and the UN have signed a document that will allow the export of grain from three Ukrainian ports. A mirror agreement has also been signed with Russia. However, there will be no direct agreement between Ukraine and the aggressor’s state.

According to the document, the established humanitarian sea routes can be exported only from 3 ports: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhnyi. It is allowed to export grain and food products. The parties also agreed on the creation of a joint coordination center (JCC), which will include representatives of the UN and other parties of the agreement. These members will check that the vessels are not carrying unauthorized cargo and people who are not a part of the crew. In order to prevent any provocations and incidents, the parties will monitor the movement of ships heading through the maritime humanitarian corridor remotely. The agreement will be valid for 120 days, if none of the parties object - then the provisions of the document will be extended automatically for the same period.

It was extremely important for Ukrainian farmers to unblock Ukrainian ports for the export of agricultural products. After all, before the beginning of the full-scale military invasion of the Russian Federation, about 5 million tons of grain were exported from the territory of Ukraine by sea every month. In 4 months, the reorientation of agricultural exports through the western land borders made it possible to export only 2 million tons (in June). Nowadays, about 20 million tons of grain from last year's harvest remain in warehouses due to the impossibility of selling the products. Farmers were left without opportunity to conduct economic activity and could not fully pay the rent to share owners. Further blockade of the ports would lead to the fact that 40% of agricultural enterprises would cease their activities, and the autumn sowing would be disrupted. The lack of working capital called into question the harvest of 2023, as well as domestic and global food security.

We hope for a quick and safe adjustment of activity from the three Ukrainian ports. We thank President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solskyi and Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov for protecting the interests of farmers. The UAC express special thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which have planned humanitarian corridors and will participate in demining of sea routes and guarding ships in Ukrainian waters.