“Hungary is ready to closely cooperate and assist in the immediate expansion of Ukraine’s grain exports”
-Agriculture Minister István Nagy said after his meeting with Ukraine's Minister of Agriculture and Food Mykola Solsky in Lviv, Western Ukraine, on Thursday.
According to a statement from the Agriculture Ministry, Hungary is ready to help Ukraine get its accumulated grain (due to the port closures) to the various markets, in order to help avoid famine in other parts of the world.
"The development of railways, loading and storage facilities is extremely important, and with joint action and proper substantiation, the European Union may also support these investments," the statement says.
To this end, an entrepreneurial zone should be created in the Hungarian-Ukrainian border region where new processing plants can be built, as this is a strategic issue that means long-term food security for the whole world.
Ukraine is the world's fourth largest exporter of cereals, supplying 9 percent of the global market, with a 42 percent share in the sunflower oil market and 16 percent in the corn market. Before the war, Hungary's neighbour produced enough grain for 400 million people. In peacetime, Ukraine used the Black Sea ports for almost 90 per cent of its exports.
Since the outbreak of the war, only Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has visited Ukraine, when he met with the Governor of Transcarpathia, Viktor Mikita, in the Transcarpathian village of Chop on 27 February. A few days ago, the Commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, visited Ukraine with a military delegation.
Talks between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and UN officials resulted in a draft agreement on grain exports on Wednesday. The agreement will be signed next week when all parties will meet again.
For more quick, accurate and impartial news from and about Hungary, subscribe to the Telex English newsletter!
The translation of this article was made possible by our cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation.