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Four more ships carrying have left ports, Turkey's Defence Ministry said on Sunday, bringing the total number of vessels to leave Ukraine's ports under a UN-brokered grain export deal to 31.

Ukraine's Sea Ports Authority said on Saturday three Ukrainian seaports had begun loading food onto seven ships, which would deliver 66,500 tonnes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil to consumers.

Ukraine's grain exports have slumped since the start of the war because its Black Sea ports - a vital route for shipments - were closed, driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East.

At the end of July, three Black Sea ports were unblocked under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv, brokered by the United Nations and .

(Reuters contributed to this report)