End of Black Sea grain deal shouldn’t affect Switzerland, official says

Inspectors examine a shipment of Ukrainian corn near Istanbul, August 2022. Keystone / Turkish Defence Ministry Handout

A year-old deal guaranteeing the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea expired on Monday night, sparking fears of global food supply problems.

“The consequences will be quite minimal for Switzerland,” the head of the federation of Swiss grain producers told RTS public radio on Tuesday morning. “We may see additional difficulties in terms of logistics and transport, but the supply is assured.”

Animal feed grains could suffer most from the expiry of the agreement, Pierre-Yves Perrin continued. “This is where the markets will be the tightest in the coming weeks”.

+ More on the grain deal brokered last year by the UN and Turkey

However, though “it may be a bit complicated, the necessary quantities will be able to arrive”, he said.

A deal reached last year to enable the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine’s grain expired on Monday night after Russia quit and said it could no longer guarantee the safety of cargo ships.

The breakdown of the year-old deal would “strike a blow to people in need everywhere”, the United Nations said. Along with Turkey, the UN had brokered the deal in July 2022, to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s top grain exporters.

+ From May 2022: how the war in Ukraine is fuelling the next global food crisis

Moscow suggested on Monday that if demands to improve exports of its own grain and fertiliser were met it would consider resurrecting the Black Sea agreement.

However, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that a UN pact that aimed to help facilitate Russia’s shipments over the past year had also terminated as a result of Moscow leaving the Black Sea deal.