Miller Magazine Issue: 151 July 2022

24 MILLER / JULY 2022 NEWS American and European officials are planning to build temporary silos in Ukraine and on its borders to rapidly increase new pre-harvest grain storage capacity in Ukraine, where around 25 million tons of grain is lying idle due to Russia's naval blockade. Ukraine, which is currently unable to export its 25 mil- lion tons of grain to the world markets due to Russia's blockade of the Black Sea ports, is looking for ways to increase its storage capacity on the verge of the harvest season. In this context, the USA and European coun- tries are planning to establish temporary grain silos in Ukraine, which has a shortage of warehouses for the new crop to be harvested in July and August. It has ben said in a recent statement by the Ministry of Agriculture of Ukraine that, “EU governments are considering providing Ukraine with temporary storage facilities. This will significantly help protect the harvest- ed crop and secure the grain supply for world markets.” Giving information on the subject, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Ukraine Markiyan Dmytrasevych said, “We urgently need temporary grain storage equipment such as modular structures and nylon bags.” According to the President of the Ukrainian Grain As- sociation, Nikolay Gorbachov, about half of the grain silos in the country are full on the territory under the control of the Ukrainian government. During his speech at the International Grain Council (IGC) conference in London, Gorbachov said that there is a total grain stor- age capacity of 55 million tons in the regions under the rule of the Kyiv administration, of which approximately 30 million tons are in use. Stating that the grain storage capacity in Russian-controlled areas is 13-15 million tons, Gorbachov warned that if the blockade in Ukrainian ports goes on, the newly harvested grain will remain in the field. According to Gorbachov, if the blockade of ports continues, half of this year's crop will not be har- vested in Ukraine, the world's fourth largest exporter of corn. Ukraine's Minister of Agriculture Mikola Solski also noted that when the autumn corn harvest is over, the shortage of storage capacity may reach 15 million tons. TEMPORARY SILOS TO POLISH BORDER American and Western authorities are also planning to build temporary silos in Ukraine and neighboring coun- tries in an attempt to rapidly increase grain storage ca- pacity in Ukraine. US President Joe Biden announced in Philadelphia that they will build temporary silos on the border with Ukraine, including Poland, to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine and rein in food prices soaring due to the war. Temporary grain silos to be built along Ukrainian border