Strengthening of alternative export routes - Özdemir opens laboratory in Ukraine
Özdemir: "We won’t allow Putin to use hunger as a weapon"
To make it easier to export agricultural products from Ukraine, Federal Minister Cem Özdemir and his Ukrainian counterpart Mykola Solskyi today opened a laboratory in Ukraine for food safety and veterinary medicine, as well as a phytosanitary laboratory. The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) funded the laboratory via the Bilateral Trust Fund, implemented by FAO. A total of 2.7 million euros, joining the contributions from EU and Japan were used to equip the phytosanitary and veterinary laboratories and thus increase clearance capacities.
Federal Minister Cem Özdemir said: "Our aim is for Ukraine to be able to comprehensively defend its sovereignty against the Russian aggressor. To do so, Ukraine relies on its economic power, to which agriculture makes a significant contribution. Putin has had agriculture in his sights from the very beginning: Russian troops are destroying fields, farms, grain silos and transport routes. Russia is not just hitting an important part of Ukraine’s economy; it is also increasing hunger in the world in order to split the international community. Ukrainian grain is of existential importance for many people and helps ensure stable markets.
Exports via the Black Sea will remain highly risky for the foreseeable future. We are helping to establish alternative export routes so that Ukraine can deliver its grain to where it is urgently needed - namely in the countries of the global south. Together with the EU, Germany is taking action to expand freight corridors and terminal capacities for the transport of agricultural goods. We will not allow Putin to use hunger as a weapon."
"Mykola Solskyi, Mister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine emphasized: “Germany's support is felt by Ukraine at the political, economic and military levels. These laboratories are an example of such support. This is one of the steps that allow us to supply agricultural products to different countries of the world. The quality of grain must be confirmed, and business must operate in favorable conditions. We thank Germany and Mr. Özdemir for their comprehensive support, for supporting Ukraine's position on resolving the ban on exports to certain EU countries. A special thanks comes from citizens and farmers for the air defense systems. I would also like to express my gratitude to Japan and the European Union for joining this project. I would also like to thank my colleagues from FAO, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection and all those present. I am sure that we have many joint projects ahead of us. We value our partnership."
Russia has been blocking the Ukrainian Black Sea ports since the beginning of the war; before the war, almost all agricultural commodities were shipped via these ports. The EU used its "solidarity lanes" to begin establishing alternative export routes - the Federal Republic is taking urgent steps in this regard. More than 48 million tonnes of agricultural goods have been exported via these lanes, generating income for the Ukrainian agricultural sector. Large areas of Ukraine have been contaminated with munitions (UKR estimates 17 million hectares have been affected), on which food could have been grown for millions of people.
Total Ukrainian agricultural exports amounted to only 3.39 million tonnes of grain, oilseeds and other agricultural products in July 2023. That is the lowest figure for a year. Until recently, most of these products were exported by ship via the Black Sea. As Russia’s cancellation of the grain agreement has meant that it is no longer possible to export via the Black Sea corridors, we need permanent alternative export routes. Exports at this scale are, however, only possible if we continue to expand the EU solidarity lanes. It is therefore becoming increasingly important to strengthen the solidarity lanes, particularly via the Danube. According to estimates by the Ukrainian agriculture ministry, the capacity on the Danube route could potentially be increased by 500,000 - 800,000 tonnes a month.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression, the BMEL has been supporting Ukraine via a range of different activities at both bilateral and multilateral level. The BMEL’s bilateral cooperation projects with Ukraine were topped up for 2022 and 2023 with an extra 2.1 million euros, including 500,000 euros for the reconstruction of Ukraine’s forestry sector. In addition to expanding export capacities, the BMEL is also providing Ukraine with a further 14 million euros under the FAO’s Rapid Response Plan. This plan supplies veterinary drugs, vaccines, power generators and inputs for farms and smallholders to areas hit particularly hard by the war.