Comments by "gary K" (@garyK.45ACP) on "Ukraine SWARMS Russian Lines, Defenses Crumble? Breaking News With The Enforcer" video.
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@opus3989 Buyers are not the problem.
Getting it to the buyers is the issue.
A lot of shipping companies will not traverse the Black Sea currently because their insurance companies will not cover them to do so. Even if there is a route using coastal, territorial waters (which increases the length of the journey and the fuel expended by the ships) many insurance companies will not take that risk.
Absent a Black Sea route, the only choice to deliver grain to the buyers is overland THROUGH one of the neighboring, friendly, countries. Poland, Slovakia, Romania. All three of those countries have substantial agriculture industries of their own.
Ukrainian grain is cheaper because of economies of scale, lower wages paid in Ukraine than in EU countries, lower costs of fertilizer, and the very rich and productive soil of Ukraine. Ukrainian grain is usually purchased by developing countries with less $$$ to spend and the cheaper grain is no threat to the EU agriculture economy.
SOME of this cheaper grain, which was intended only to pass thru Poland, Slovakia and Romania was, allegedly, being sold in those countries. Probably by unscrupulous sellers to unscrupulous buyers.
Those countries are obligated to protect their own economies. I don't blame them.
I don't know the details of the agreements they are working on. I understand it is some sort of "licensing" agreement. This may involve selling the grain to Poland, Slovakia and Romania (Hungary jumped in also for no particular reason other than they are Hungary) and then those countries handling the sale of the grain themselves...they will make sure it is not sold at bargain prices in their own country.
I'll wait to see the final result, but I am glad they seem to have worked it out.
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