19.04.2022
CAN ROMANIA SAVE UKRAINE'S WHEAT?
Before the war, Ukraine was one of the largest producers of wheat in the world. But since the Russian invasion, exports have fallen sharply. Whether the alternative routes can pass through Romania - through Galati and Constanta, says Deutsche Welle.
Ukraine's problems with grain are many. Both with the cultivation of the land - because the fields are abandoned, mined or destroyed, and with the storage of the harvest - the warehouses are overcrowded. However, transportation is almost impossible - the direct sea route from Odessa, Mariupol and other important Ukrainian ports is blocked. "Ukrainian ports cannot be used - they are either bombed or there is a risk of bombing," Hansjörg Küster, a professor of geobotany, told ARD.
The problem with the rails
But can't wheat be transported by land to Romania and shipped there? In theory it is possible. But in practice, the difference in distance between the rails in different countries is a huge obstacle.
"In Ukraine, the railway is wide-gauge, while in Europe there is a standard track gauge," explains Kuster. What does this mean specifically? In most European countries the distance between the inner sides of the rails is 1435 mm, while in Ukraine it is 1520 mm. This is a standard in the countries of the former Soviet Union that is still in force today.
Respectively, if trains with goods from Ukraine reach the border, they cannot simply continue to Moldova or further - to Romania. "Either the cargo has to be transferred or new wagons have to be bought. And road transport is extremely expensive," says Kuster.
The poorer countries in Africa and the Middle East depend on Ukraine's relatively cheap grain. There is already a shortage of Ukrainian wheat, and recently prices have risen sharply. Wheat grown in Germany and Western Europe is not a suitable substitute, as it is too expensive for countries such as Morocco, Egypt and Algeria.
According to the expert Kuster, there is simply no solution to the problem. As these are huge quantities, transport by plane or truck is excluded. It is not possible to transport Ukrainian wheat by train, and there are no other ports nearby. The Baltic countries or Finland, where the track gauge is the same as in Ukraine, can only be reached by transiting through Russia or Belarus - ie this option is dropped.
The help of Bucharest
If you look at the map of the world and the list of major importers of Ukrainian wheat, you can see that the only logical routes pass through the Black Sea. That is, through Romania.
Last week, government representatives and transport experts from Romania, Moldova and Ukraine met in Bucharest with EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valian. She pointed out that exports from Ukraine and Moldova are currently being discussed at European level, and that Romania can help in this regard.
Valian specifically mentioned the Danube ports of Galati and Sulina, as well as Constanta, which could "serve as gates to the Black Sea". And a shuttle system could be built between Constanta and some smaller war-torn ports in Ukraine. There is a railway line to Galati with a track gauge like the Ukrainian one. Delivery of goods from Ukraine to Galati would be "very easy", the commissioner said.
Perspectives and realities
But things are not so simple. A grain trader from Odessa complained on Romanian television that the railways around the border were in poor condition. And the rails near Galati have been damaged for years. Meanwhile, Romanian Transport Minister Sorin Grindianu has promised that the line to Galati will be repaired in the next 100 days.
Agricultural expert Kuster, however, emphasizes that it will be very expensive to load Ukrainian wheat on ships outside the country. But in view of the full warehouses need to hurry - "every day is important."
