ANKARA, August 20. /TASS/. More than 656,300 tonnes of grain have been shipped from Ukrainian ports since August 1, when the grain exports began under the UN-brokered deal, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday at a joint news conference with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at Istanbul’s Joint Coordination Center overseeing the exports.

"Since August 1, a total of 656,349 tonnes of grain have been taken from three Ukrainian ports. And we hope that exports of agricultural products will grow," Akar said.

According to the Turkish defense minister, 51 ships are engaged to carry grain.

"Of these, 27 [ships] have left Ukrainian ports and 24 have headed for loading," he said.

He hoped that the grain export deal could be a model for settlement in Ukraine.