burst! Ukrainian food oligarch killed in attack
Ukrainian grain exporter killed in attack
According to a report by Reuters on July 31, the city of Nikolayev in southern Ukraine was bombed that day.
According to reports, the general manager of Nibulon, one of Ukraine's largest grain exporters, and his wife were killed in the attack.
It is understood that Vada Turski will be ranked 24th in the "Forbes Ukraine Top 100 Rich List" in 2021, with a worth of $430 million, and was awarded the title of "Ukrainian Hero" in 2007.
Vada Tursky, 74, founded Niburon, one of Ukraine's largest grain exporters.
According to reports, Niburon has more than 50 companies in Ukraine, mainly engaged in grain cultivation (the company owns about 100,000 hectares of land), storage, processing and transportation. There are as many as 27 transshipment terminals and complexes with 445 silo-type silos, the largest number in Ukraine. There is also a strong transport capacity.
Niburon has a "grain fleet" of up to 81 ships, and also has a shipbuilding and ship repair facility in Nikolayev. In addition, the company controls the commercial port of Nikolaev. In 2019, Niburon provided about 9% of Ukraine's grain exports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by calling Vada Turski's death "a major loss for Ukraine" and "it is these people and these companies in southern Ukraine that ensure world food security."
The report pointed out that the city of Nikolayev is the main route to the Ukrainian port of Odessa. The city has been attacked several times since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Ukraine's first batch of grain ships departs
According to the Associated Press, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on the 1st local time that the first ship carrying Ukrainian grain had departed from the port of Odessa. CBOT soybean, corn and wheat futures fell on expectations of improving global supplies.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense issued a statement saying that the ship "Razoni" departed from the Ukrainian port of Odessa for Lebanon. A UN statement said the Razoni was carrying more than 26,000 tonnes of maize.
According to the "Peninsula" website reported on July 31, the first grain fleet consists of 16 ships, and the ships will be tracked by drones and satellites. After the fleet leaves its home port of Odessa, the first stop will be Istanbul, Turkey, and then it is expected to travel to African countries, especially Somalia. According to United Nations forecasts, it will take about a month and a half for grain ships to reach Africa.
Ukraine's annual grain harvest may be halved
On July 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Ukraine's grain harvest this year may be only half of previous years. It is understood that Ukraine produced 80 million metric tons of grains in 2021.
As of July 29, Ukraine's actual grain exports since the start of the 2022/2023 market year (July 2022-June 2023) totalled 1.405 million tonnes, down 43.1% from the same period a year earlier, or 1.066 million tonnes. Data show that Ukraine has exported 325,000 tons of wheat, 131,000 tons of barley and 941,000 tons of corn.
In the 2021/2022 marketing year (July 2021-June 2022), Ukraine's actual grain exports totaled 48.508 million tons, which is an increase of 8.5% or 3.79 million tons compared to the previous marketing year.
Although Russia and Ukraine have reached a grain transportation agreement, the first black sea grain ship left Ukraine. Still, many economists and agricultural giants are still warning that it may be too early to declare victory, and that agricultural markets remain volatile — the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, combined with unusually hot and dry weather in parts of Europe and the U.S. , which could still pose new threats of disruption to the food supply.
