NPR.

There are more than 20 million tons of grain trapped in Ukraine right now.

Tons of wheat and corn that in peacetime would be loaded onto cargo ships at ports on

its southern coast on the Black Sea, then transported to places like Egypt, Pakistan, and Lebanon.

But today that grain is sitting in silos.

It's unable to get out of Ukraine and into the countries that rely on these crucial food

supplies.

Russian warships are stationed on Ukraine's ports, and there are reports of mines in the

Black Sea that make it too dangerous for commercial ships to operate.

The war has cut off Ukrainian grain exports and deepened a worldwide food crisis.

And the longer that grain sits in storage, the worse the crisis.

Not just for Ukrainian farmers, but for global food security.

This is the indicator from planet money I'm Whalen Wong.

And I'm Daryl Woods.

On today's show, how Ukraine is racing to get grain out of the country and spinning

up new wartime supply chains to do it.

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Ukraine is called the bread basket of Europe because of how much grain it grows in exports.

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