Russian authorities have allowed grain vessels to depart from the Azov Sea for the first time since July, raising hopes for the reopening of a crucial export route for the world’s top wheat supplier.

Wheat futures erased the Black Sea risk premium that had built since Russia and Ukraine escalated attacks in early July, after a report that Moscow is considering proposals to secure grain shipments through the region.

Russia’s grain industry is looking to increasingly niche solutions for shipping wheat as attacks in the Black Sea continue to choke off exports from the world’s biggest supplier.

Corn futures edged higher in Chicago amid technical signals that its five-day losing streak was overdone.

Wheat futures touched the lowest in more than two months even as weekend strikes between Russia and Ukraine made any deal to restart exports from the two major producers increasingly unlikely.

Russia is responding to Ukraine’s Black Sea attacks by seeking to reroute its grain exports, but so far the efforts are falling short — only about 1/10th of the volumes are being shipped through the key alternative ports, data show.

Traders and farmers are parsing how quickly China’s planned tariff cuts on some US agricultural products might translate into new demand for major grains like corn and wheat.

Some Russian farmers plan to plant less winter wheat as flows from the country’s crucial Black Sea ports remain stalled, creating a domestic glut and setting the stage for a smaller 2027 harvest from the world’s top shipper.

The Kremlin is pushing wheat exporters and growers to maintain Russia’s geopolitical advantage as the top shipper of the grain, despite disruptions to ports in the Black Sea region.

Saudi Arabia’s biggest barley buyer is shifting away from a key source of supply as the Russia-Ukraine war disrupts shipments from one of the world’s major breadbasket regions.

The world’s top container shipper MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. has suspended new bookings to and from Russia’s Novorossiysk port with immediate effect after one of its vessels was attacked by a drone.

At least five grain ships have been attacked near the Russian Black Sea ports of Novorossiysk and Tuapse as Moscow struggles to continue exporting grain amid heightened Ukrainian strikes, according to people familiar with the matter.

Black Sea grain exports are facing fresh constraints as record-low Danube levels restrict flows through Romania just as escalating Russian strikes divert Ukrainian grain from Odesa and other ports.

Ukraine’s agricultural shipments could fall by more than half this season after Russian attacks disrupted Black Sea ports, threatening the country’s biggest source of export revenue.

Russian officials are proposing arming grain ships with machine guns and mobile missile launchers, as the world’s top wheat exporter tries to counter Ukrainian drone attacks.

Europe is set to suffer one of its sharpest ever declines in grain production as extreme weather and geopolitical tensions converge to pile pressure on farmers.

Corn prices reached the highest level in seven weeks in Paris as renewed tensions in the Black Sea stoked supply concerns.

Russia’s largest employer is trying to address mounting financial pressures with new measures that some businesses worry will come at their expense, underscoring the growing strains on the economy as President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine drags on.

Ukraine’s agricultural sector suffered direct losses of more than $11 billion as Russian drone strikes intensified sharply at the end of last year, according to Deputy Economy Minister Taras Vysotskyi.