Daily Times

The grain deal between Russia and Ukraine, two warring countries, also known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative was agreed by both countries last year with the support of UNO and Turkiye’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The deal was agreed on the aim of giving a safe way to export grain from Ukraine and Russia from the Black Sea route. After expiring the time of the grain deal, Russia raised concerns and said that these have been not addressed yet therefore it would not continue to be on the deal. It has pulled out from the deal.

However, UNO and Turkiye have been urging the parties they must continue the deal, yet the thaw in the anger has not been seen. As these, both were the parties hammering out a grain deal last year between both conflicting countries. UNO has highlighted the effects of discontinuing the grain deal. Most of the poor countries rely on grain from Ukraine and Russia. These both countries are the biggest exporter of grain and fertilizers.

Such an ignorant attitude regarding the grain deal by the involved countries would affect hugely the poor countries, especially African and other third-world countries. Already hit by climate change, the East African nations will face the risk of food insecurity. Because East African nations fill the need for 80 per cent of grain from Russia and Ukraine. Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal means the export of grain will remain halted due to war. Ultimately these countries’ population which is already heavily affected by low resources and climate change will suffer a lot.

Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal means the export of grain will remain halted due to war.

Considering the failure of continuation of the grain deal and the war between both biggest exporters of grain has not only affected the poor countries but also developing nations have got dent due to war the prices of perishable and edible things have skyrocketed and headline inflation has gone on the sky. The cost of living in these developing nations has become high. Disruption in the export of grain has made rates of food beyond affording in developing countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. The developing countries also want direly the grain deal should be renegotiated and continued with the same spirit.

The direly needed grain deal is also important for the considerable population of the world. The Global Hunger Index report has underscored the hunger and food insecurity implications on the world population. It is too much deplorable and alarming call for the developed nations and all human beings who are enjoying full resources of life that still in such an advanced time and digitally revolutionized global world a huge chunk of the population across the world under their nose is not able to eat one time meal properly.

Politically at confrontations, the countries are busy fighting against each other. Sino-US economic and political conflicts, the European Union’s persuasion of decoupling and de-risking, and security threats from terrorists who are still getting safe havens in de facto-ruled Afghanistan and Russia-Ukraine war have made the world disorder and asymmetry. Such a complex scenario of the global world order has created huge hurdles for developing and poor countries. These countries were facing much amount of problems and now have to face multiple other problems with such a perplexed global world order.

However, these problems must be sings for the developed nations that with this continued persuasion of passage the world cannot be peaceful and it may lose the peace and order situation. This troubling time of the war and its complexities should be indicative of solving the problems in a peaceful and friendly way. Particularly, developed countries must think about the countries that rely on their aid and support, they should keep their interests aside at least for collective problems of the world which are not of one nation but entire human beings.

The grain deal between Russia and Ukraine must be renegotiated. All the parties from Europe to Asia must play their due role in reviving the deal for the sake of poor and needy countries. Such as reviving the grain deal these countries must also play a role to eradicate the world’s collective problems such as Climate Change, food insecurity and peace.

The writer is a freelance columnist and can be reached at lagharikazim@gmail.com