Ukraine’s grain crisis deepens

A field in Ukraine’s southern region of Mykolvaiv. Strikes by both Moscow and Kyiv on shipping in the Black Sea leave farmers facing ruin and could cause another worldwide food shock. — Jedrzej Nowicki/The New York Times

IT was a bumper harvest this year and barns in southern Ukraine are filled with great golden mounds of grain.

Yet, farmers in Ukraine’s prime agricultural belt say they are facing ruin, and experts warn the world may be staring at another global food shock as Russia and Ukraine, both major exporters of grain, intensify attacks on ports and shipping in the Black Sea.