China top recipient of food, feed under Black Sea Grain Initiative

China is the largest recipient of food and feed commodities under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, according to information published by the United Nations Joint Coordination Centre.

As of June 20, 32.1 million tonnes of food, feed grains and oilseeds have shipped under the plan, with 7.7 million tonnes, or 24%, going to China. That included 5.6 million tonnes of corn, 1.8 million tonnes of sunflower seed meal, 370,000 tonnes of sunflower oil and 340,000 tonnes of barley, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture.

Spain received the second highest amount of shipments at 5.9 million tonnes, or 18%, followed by Turkey at 3.2 million tonnes, or 10%.

The initiative was first signed on July 27, 2022, to alleviate a global food crisis worsened by Russia’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine. It has been extended several times and is set to expire on July 18. Russia has said it will not renew the deal unless a series of demands, including the removal of obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports, are met.

China has not been listed as a cargo destination for wheat, soybeans, rapeseed or other commodities shipped to global markets as part of the grain initiative, the FAS said.

Tags: grain, Ukraine, China, export