The operator’s alarm went off immediately. Just a few hours after the Russians invaded Ukraine: “Our wheat is blocked on the Sea of Azov,” stressed Vincenzo Divella, a professional pasta maker, a month ago. But now EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is also underlining the weight of this block, which has meanwhile grown in number of ships. He stressed yesterday in the European Parliament that Russia is “blocking hundreds of ships carrying grain in the Black Sea” and called on Putin to allow these ships to reach their destination. Otherwise he added the consequences will be felt in Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia, Africa and the Far East. “I call on Putin to let go of these ships. Otherwise, it will be responsible not only for war and death, but also for hunger and starvation. Let these ships go. ‘
The impact on commodity prices
Von der Leyen’s speech is the signal that the alarm about the supply of agricultural products is now also growing in Europe, also because of the direct impact on prices: the price for corn (which is mainly used for animal nutrition), from 17 February to March 18, grew by 41% on the Bologna Commodity Exchange (from 287 to 405 euros per tonne) and that of common wheat (used mainly for bread and sweets) by 33% (from 313 to 417) over the same period euros per tonne, data from the Italian Agricultural Consortium). And corn and soft wheat are for Italy (but it would be better to say that they were) the main agricultural commodities imported from Ukraine and Russia (imports from the two countries account for 5 and 15% respectively of total Italian imports from soft wheat and corn).
The ships stopped for a month
A message that was repeated to the European Parliament, which also EU Commission President von der Leyen tweeted: “Today Putin is blocking hundreds of ships full of grain in the Black Sea. I call on Putin to let go of these ships.” . Europe must rise to this challenge. We have committed at least €2.5 billion by 2024 to help the regions most affected by food insecurity.” Divella confirms a month later that it is still waiting for the ship that was supposed to load 30,000 quintals of common wheat on February 27 at the port of Azov for the port of Bari. “It stops at the Kerch Strait, which connects from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, along with many other ships, to be precise 89 ». What hundreds will as pointed out by von der Leyen if the horizon is extended to the whole area: This is also illustrated by the map showing the ships (without oil tankers and passengers) with the transponder (electronic identification system) last night at 19.10 in the black Sea and in the Sea of Azov. Who knows whether Putin, as von der Leyen had hoped, will ever let them achieve their goal.