Grain deal clears one of many hurdles to get Ukraine’s crops to market

Cargo ships in the Black Sea wait to enter Ukraine’s Sulina canal. June’s record 2.3m tonnes of overland grain exports is just a third of Ukraine’s usual sea exports. Photograph: Daniel Mihăilescu/AFP/Getty Images

The agreement to move Ukraine’s grain may have been signed, but the challenge of moving millions of tonnes from blockaded Black Sea ports is only just beginning.

On Friday, Ukraine and Russia signed a UN-backed deal to allow Ukraine’s wheat, maize and oilseeds to be shipped amid fears over a global food crisis.