Despite the recent signing of new trade deal, Ukrainian grain exports are still being blocked

Russia signed off on the continuation of the grain corridor deal late last month but now there are reports of further delays.

Ukrainian grain has been stockpiled at ports and is seen globally as vital to feed developing countries in Africa and the Middle East.

The Black Sea trade corridor deal has been critical in allowing the flow of at least some of the grain out of Ukraine.

Ukraine ranks in the top 10 of the world's biggest grain exporters although the local harvest has suffered since the onset of the war with Russia.

Ukrainian Agri Council leader Andriy Dykun says despite the deal to allow grade shipments, he claims Russian inspectors are "blocking" critical bulk export ships anchored in waters off Turkey.

Mr Dykun claimed Russia had suspended the registration of vessels at the Joint Coordination Center where Ukrainian ports where required to submit their inspection plans.

"Instead, the Russians are forming their own inspection plan, selecting vessels from the queue at their discretion, which is completely contrary to the terms of the Initiative and unacceptable to Ukraine," he said.

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"As a result, for the second time in the nine months of the Grain Initiative's operation, no inspection plan has been drawn up and no vessels have been inspected. This jeopardises the functioning of the Grain Initiative."

There were similar frustrating delays last year but the Ukrainians were eventually able to export 23 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs via the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Almost half those shipments were maize.

Mr Dykun said Russians were again delaying inspections under various pretexts, which had already led to a reduction in the volume of Ukrainian agricultural exports to world markets by 15-18 million tonnes.

He claimed Russian representatives in the Joint Coordination Center have been trying to interfere with the activities of Ukrainian ports and exporters by imposing their own criteria for determining which vessels will participate in the initiative.

He said an added complication with the grain initiative was some European Union countries are imposing restrictions on movement of Ukrainian food through their territories to major seaports.

"If you look at the structure of exports, Ukraine supplies more than 60 per cent of its wheat by sea."

Poland is the only EU country which has completely banned the import of Ukrainian agricultural goods, including meat and dairy products.

"We understand that this is a political issue, because in Poland and Slovakia there are elections in the fall and politicians are trying to win over the rural electorate, which is the basis of their supporters.

"However, Ukrainian farmers are not to blame for the fact that their Polish counterparts were unable to sell grain at the prices they had planned."