The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on Tuesday that unexploded ordnance covering Ukraine’s fields could render fertile agricultural land useless for years to come and endanger the lives of the population.
Agriculture is one of the vital sectors of the Ukrainian economy, which was invaded by Russia on February 24, 2022, but which had already faced a separatist war in the east since 2014.
“Daily, [os agricultores ucranianos] must decide whether to risk their lives to cultivate the land, or risk losing their income and funds to feed their family,” said the head of the ICRC’s weapon contamination department in Kiev.
Speaking via video link to reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, from Kyiv, Duncan said that the contamination of Ukraine with bombs, shells and mines is proceeding at a faster pace than their elimination.
In addition to the immediate threats, the ICRC has warned of longer-term challenges in terms of the need to mobilize significant resources to survey the vast affected areas and start clearing mines.
“This could lead to a significant part of the arable land becoming unusable for many years,” the ICRC warned in a statement quoted by French news agency AFP.
Ukraine is one of the largest grain exporters in the world, which is of concern not only within the country, but also abroad.
Ukraine’s soil “is critical to providing affordable grain to feed people around the world,” Duncan said.
The armed conflict raised fears of a serious food crisis, with major Ukrainian ports blocked by Russian warships.
In July 2022, the UN and Turkey managed to conclude separate agreements with Kiev and Moscow, which allowed Ukraine to resume maritime transportation of agricultural products.
The so-called Black Sea grain deals were recently relaunched on March 19, but Russia is threatening to pull out of it, claiming Western sanctions prevent it from exporting fertilizer as planned.
Since its inception, the initiative has allowed more than 30 million metric tons of grains and foodstuffs to move out of Ukraine, according to the UN.
On Tuesday, a ship carrying 62,000 metric tons of corn left the Ukrainian port of Odessa (southwest) for Saudi Arabia, according to a traffic report provided by the UN.
According to the agreements, the ship is yet to be inspected in the port of Istanbul, where the initiative’s coordinating center is located, with the participation of representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN.
China, Spain and Turkey are the countries that received the most Ukrainian products under the initiative, in a list of 28 destinations, in which Portugal ranks ninth with over 708,000 tons, according to the UN.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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