CHISINAU, September 15 The transit of Ukrainian grain through Romania can be increased thanks to new decisions that were adopted at the grain conference in Constanta, said the Romanian Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Sorin Grindeanu.
On Friday, a meeting was held in Constanta on the export of grain and oilseeds to the Black Sea. Representatives of Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, partners from the EU and the USA took part in the discussion. Romania was represented by the head of the Ministry of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu.
“”In August, more than 2.5 million tons of grain transited through Romania. The level that we want to reach in the coming months is 4 million tons, and this is possible. We have made decisions that will improve and increase the transit of grain through Romania. The first will be “The implementation of the European project of navigation on Sulina 24 hours a day, which will be completed this autumn, will automatically lead to an increase in this transit. Secondly, we managed to increase the number of pilots for transit. The Ministry of National Defense helped with another 10 pilots to the 54 that we already have” ,” Grindeanu said at a press conference following the meeting.
The minister also said that a number of decisions will be made regarding the port of Constanta related to the transshipment of grain from one vessel to another, due to which the port's throughput will increase by 500 thousand tons. Grindeanu noted that a new meeting will take place in a month or two, during which the results of the decisions taken in Constanta will be analyzed.
In mid-August, Grindeanu said that Romania plans to double the volume of Ukrainian grain exports, increasing it to 4 million tons. On Wednesday, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolaku confirmed this intention, saying that Romania wants to double the transportation of Ukrainian grain through its territory in the coming month.
The grain deal was concluded at the end of July last year by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN. It is two-level: a mechanism has been developed for the export of Ukrainian products from Black Sea ports, and the UN has also pledged to promote the export of Russian agricultural products. Its effect ceased on July 18, the Russian Federation notified Turkey, Ukraine and the UN of its objection to its extension. Russian President Vladimir Putin explained this by saying that the terms of the deal in relation to Russia were not being fulfilled. Putin has repeatedly pointed out that the West exported most of the Ukrainian grain to their states, and the main goal of the deal – supplying grain to countries in need, including African ones – was never realized.
