Ukrainian Wheat Association: “Wheat in the Turkish ports of the Russian oligarchs”

In resolving the Ukrainian wheat issue, “I don’t know what role Turkey could play, what solution it could find and what policy it would conduct. What I can say is that Ukrainian wheat continues to be stolen and through Ukrainian ports, including Berdyansk port, it is brought to Turkey. And Turkey collects wheat in private ports that belong to the Russian oligarchs. “This was reported by Mykola Horbachov, president of the Ukrainian Wheat Association, in an interview with AdnKronos, adding that” I don’t know what policy Turkey will conduct in this regard and I don’t even know how the grain owners in Ukraine can trust the security of grain transit with the guarantees of Turkey. I really hope that some international solution can be found. “Waiting for a solution, the grain war does not On the one hand, the association denounces Russian “intentional attacks” on fields and grain deposits, also witnessed by the videos “showing Russian helicopters flying over the fields at a height of 5 meters and then throwing firebombs, and there there are no other targets to hit … In a silos there are 10 thousand tons of grain: at 400 dollars a ton, we are talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars for each silos hit I think this is intentional too, ”says Horbachov. On the other hand, there is a sector that is now on its knees. “Regarding the harvest in the occupied territories or along the conflict line, we estimate that about 30% of the wheat sown in these areas will not be able to be harvested. Farmers are also afraid to reach the fields with the means for harvesting, they also fear that these means could be stolen and taken away ”, explains the president of the Ukrainian Wheat Association. Since the start of the war on February 24, “Ukraine has managed to export 5 million tons of wheat, in June (which was a record month) we exported 2.2 million tons. The previous years we exported 6-7 million tons per month also thanks to the open ports. In fact, we now export 3 times less than in previous years. But the problem of exporting wheat is not only technical, it is also economic: the transport of wheat, which previously cost 30-40 dollars a ton, is now reaching 180 dollars a ton. So farmers do not agree. Or take the barley: it’s worth $ 240 a ton, from which you subtract $ 180 per ton for delivery, that’s $ 60 left. Practically, one third of the expenses invested in sowing and cultivation. It is no longer worthwhile. ”By Stefania Marignetti