On September 3, USAID’s Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) delivered the last 3,000 flexible intermediate bulk container (FIBC) grain bags (big bags) to the agricultural exporter, Grain Alliance. This was the final delivery of the 70,000 big bags bulk purchase.
A big bag is a soft, pliable, container made of polyethylene, which carries 1 to 2 tons of grain (corn, wheat, soybeans). The advantage of big bags is that they protect the grain from rain and snow during road or rail transportation.
These versatile big bags offer 70,000+ tons of storage capacity and allow Grain Alliance to be more adaptable with its supply chains. Big bags transport grain in open trucks and wagons while maintaining the grain’s high quality. Conveniently, big bags also offer the opportunity to transport cargo back to avoid returning empty. Lastly, big bags can be used as a short-term warehouse option in case the Black Sea ports are blocked again.
Currently, Grain Alliance uses the USAID-provided big bags to store seeds. The exporter also plans to use the big bags to transport grain from their elevators in the central regions. Should another forced logistics strategy change happen again, Grain Alliance will have the option to transport grain by trucks via the Western border with the big bags to continue their export operations uninterrupted.
Grain Alliance is among the top 20 agricultural companies of Ukraine.
Background: Assistance to agricultural producers and infrastructure companies is part of the Agriculture Resilience Initiative (AGRI) – Ukraine, implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It aims to help Ukraine increase its capacity to produce, store, transport, and export grain.