Oman offers Ukraine opportunity to create grain hub in the Gulf
For uninterrupted supplies of Ukrainian grain to countries in the Horn of Africa, the Sultanate of Oman offers Ukraine to create a grain or grain-food hub on its territory.
The special representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa, Maksym Subh, reported this in an interview with Ukrinform.
"During my visit (at the beginning of March – ed.), Oman offered Ukraine to seriously consider the issue of creating a Ukrainian grain or grain-food hub on the territory of the Sultanate.
The Omani side also said that in case of its creation, Ukraine could be absolutely sure about the regular supplies of our grain to the countries of the Horn of Africa," Subh said.
The Ukrainian representative added that Ukraine could gain access to one of the most modern logistics hubs, which functions, in fact, in the Indian Ocean.
In addition, Oman has excellent political relations with countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia.
"All this was discussed very substantively," Subh informed.
The Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa explained that the idea of creating Ukrainian grain hubs is already being developed. At this time, it reached the level of agreement on the technical details of the implementation, including the financial component.
"Now Oman's offer has been added to the list of countries we could consider. Our goal is to ensure food security in Africa.
The advantages of Oman are an excellent infrastructure, a developed fleet, a clear and transparent banking system, and tax rules. As Oman looks attractive, Ukrainian departments could also consider it one of the possible locations for a grain hub," the diplomat said.
At the same time, Egypt, for example, after learning about Ukraine's plans, also showed interest in discussing the possibility of creating a similar logistics center on its territory, Subh informed.
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It should be noted that Ukraine plans to open an embassy in the Sultanate of Oman this year.
In February, it was reported that Egypt was interested in implementing joint logistics agricultural projects with Ukraine, particularly in creating a logistics hub for grain supplies. The Ambassador of Egypt to Ukraine, Ayman Ahmed Mukhtar Elgammal, stated this during a meeting with the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Mykola Solsky.
