Commodities
Ukraine Grain Now Relies on a River Drying in the Drought
- Black Sea ports cut off from shipping after Russian threats
- Lower river levels and political tensions may threaten supply
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The threat of Russian aggression towards Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and ships will force the country to export its enormous quantities of grain by river, road and rail — all of which are fraught with challenges.
After exiting the Black Sea grain export deal earlier this week, Russia announced that all ships headed to Ukrainian ports will now be considered military vessels. With harvests coming in, that means Ukrainian farmers will no longer be able to rely on the route that was used to move about half of last season’s crops.