This was stated by the head of the Ministry of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov.
He released a video of how the first ship with Ukrainian food left the port of Odesa.
Earlier, Kubrakov wrote that on August 1, at 9:15, as part of the implementation of the Initiative for the Safe Transportation of Grain and Food Products, the first ship with Ukrainian food is expected to leave the port of Odesa.
The vessel RAZONI under the flag of Sierra Leone is heading to the port of Tripoli in Lebanon with 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn.
"Today, Ukraine, together with its partners, is taking another step towards preventing world hunger. Unblocking the ports will provide at least USD 1 billion in foreign exchange earnings for the economy and an opportunity for the agricultural sector to plan next year's sowing. We are grateful to the partners who, despite the difficulties, did not stop the work on preparing for export. For its part, Ukraine has done everything to restore the operation of ports and all involved enterprises. In the ports of Greater Odesa, 16 more ships are already waiting for their turn. These are the ships that have been blocked since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia. At the same time, we will receive applications for the arrival of new ships for loading with agricultural products," he noted.
In the coming weeks, with the support of Ukrainian partners, they plan to reach the full capacity of transshipment of agricultural products, the Ministry of Infrastructure notes.
Earlier, the Turkish Defense Ministry reported on Twitter that the first ship from the Ukrainian port was supposed to leave at 08:30.
According to Anadolu, the Turkish Defense Ministry said that such a decision was made following the meetings of Defense Minister Hulusi Akar with all parties and the work of the joint coordination center. So the first ship will leave Odesa.
Earlier, Turkish mass media reported that the country expects to receive vessels with Ukrainian grain on August 3.