美国国家公共电台 NPR--Russian blockade in Odesa disrupts Ukrainian farmers' grain exports

Russian blockade in Odesa disrupts Ukrainian farmers' grain exports

Transcript¹

NPR's Peter Granitz talks about the impact Russia's blockade of the port of Odesa will have on grain sales and possible food shortages in places in the Middle East and Africa.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag represent a blue sky over a field of wheat. Ukraine is one of the world's biggest exporters of grain and cooking oil. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says much of the world is affected², as Russia's invasion disrupts the growing and shipment of that grain.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Millions of people may starve if Russia's blockade of the Black Sea continues.

INSKEEP: We've been covering different aspects of this story. Now we'll find out how it looks to the people growing the grain. NPR's Peter Granitz is in Odesa along the Ukrainian Black Sea coast. Hey there, Peter.

PETER GRANITZ, BYLINE³: Hey, Steve.

INSKEEP: What do you hear from farmers?

GRANITZ: Well, I hear that they are worried. And that's probably not surprising. They are worried about their livelihoods⁴, about their businesses and, of course, their safety. They're worried about actually getting hurt in the war. They're also concerned about artillery⁵ landing in their fields and actually ruining their yield. Yesterday, I went out to see a farmer named Vasiliy Klimenko (ph) about 30 miles outside of Odesa. He's got a pretty big farm. It's about a thousand acres. He farms some sunflowers for cooking oil, but mostly it's winter wheat and barley⁶. And that means he plants it in the fall and then he harvests it in the early summer. And he's actually getting ready to do that right now. But he doesn't know what the price is going to be.

VASYLIY KHMILENKO: (Non-English language spoken).

GRANITZ: He says, the grain elevators at the port are full. And that's why brokers⁷ aren't going to give him a price just yet. And he says he really wants the price so he knows just how bad financially this year is going to be. Steve, Ukraine says there are more than 23 million tons of grain still in the country that cannot get out. Wow. And Vasiliy starts harvesting in a couple of weeks. And he's worried if he harvests the grain, it's just going to rot. And that puts him in the hole.

INSKEEP: Well, let's remember, the main blockage⁸ here is the Black Sea ports, including the one that you're in there, Odesa. And we can remind people that Turkey, a neighboring nation, has been hosting these negotiations⁹ with Russia, the idea of which is to reopen the ports for grain shipments. Any progress?

GRANITZ: No, there is no progress. There's no deal yet. And the conversation this week was between the Russian and the Turkish foreign ministers in Ankara. But Ukraine wasn't there. I think we should say that, you know - step back and say that these Russian warships¹⁰ are just floating out in the Black Sea. Now, you can't actually see them from the shores of Odesa, but those ships enforce the blockade. And the goal of these talks would be to open some kind of shipping¹¹ lane that would allow Ukraine to export its grain. Now, to do that safely, they would need another country - likely Turkey - to escort it safely through. Russia is doing this because it wants sanctions relief, right? You know, they want the world to come to their side. But Ukraine rejected the deal outright¹². Obviously, Ukraine wants the ports open so it can sell the grain to the world because it needs the money. And a lot of countries need the food. The U.N. has warned that food shortages and hunger could get worse this year if things don't improve.

INSKEEP: I don't understand, Peter, why anyone would think Russia would ever agree to a deal. They went to war against Ukraine. They want to destroy the Ukrainian government. They want to degrade the Ukrainian economy. And if there's extra pressure on the world because people are desperate for grain, that's extra pressure on Russia's side.

GRANITZ: I don't think you're alone in thinking that, Steve, or not understanding that, Steve. I think Russia can play this as long as it wants. It clearly has the leverage¹³ here. It doesn't need to remove its ships from the Black Sea. And the longer this goes on, the more those countries are vulnerable. The more they need the food, the more they need to see an end to the conflict. And one way to do that would be to go to Russia's side and say, hey, look; they need to get some kind of relief, that way we get our relief.

INSKEEP: NPR's Peter Granitz is in Odesa, Ukraine. Peter, thanks so much.

GRANITZ: Thank you, Steve.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

5 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

6 barley   

n.大麦，大麦粒

参考例句：

• They looked out across the fields of waving barley.他们朝田里望去,只见大麦随风摇摆。
• He cropped several acres with barley.他种了几英亩大麦。

7 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

8 blockage   

n.障碍物；封锁

参考例句：

• The logical treatment is to remove this blockage.合理的治疗方法就是清除堵塞物。
• If the blockage worked,they could retreat with dignity.如果封锁发生作用，他们可以体面地撤退。

9 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

10 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

11 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

12 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

13 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。