• Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says the initiative seeks to alleviate the acute food crisis on the continent.
• Says the Grain From Ukraine humanitarian programme, launched in November, will provide essential food products to the most vulnerable.
Image: TWITTER
Ukraine will send at least 60 vessels full of grain to African countries hard hit by drought through the Grain From Ukraine programme, the country’s Foreign minister has said.
In a virtual media briefing to African journalists on Monday, Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the initiative seeks to alleviate the acute food crisis on the continent.
Kuleba said 60 vessels will be sent to Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, DRC, Kenya, Yemen, and Nigeria, among others.
The Horn of Africa is facing the worst drought in 40 years.
“Food security is one of 10 elements of Ukraine’s peace formula presented by President Zelenskyi at the G20 summit this month. Russia’s war has hit hard not only our country, but countries of Europe, Africa, Asia, and beyond.
"This is why the Grain From Ukraine program is so important. It will help alleviate the acute food insecurity for millions of people across the world,” Minister Kuleba said in his statement.
He said the Grain From Ukraine humanitarian programme, launched in November, will provide essential food products to those most vulnerable.
“Until spring 2023, we plan to supply at least five million people across the African continent as part of this humanitarian effort. This will be possible through the dispatch of 1 to 10 ships per month during 2023,” he said, noting that the shipment will be at no cost to recipient countries.
To finance this initiative, the minister said Ukraine invites partners to join the programme and allocate finances for purchasing ships with Ukrainian grain that are then shipped to the most vulnerable people and countries free of charge.
"More than 20 countries plus the EU are already taking part. Ukraine itself is also donating money from our war-torn budget. These funds are used to purchase vessels with Ukrainian grain to ship them to the most vulnerable in Africa and Asia.
"The mechanism will work in coordination with the UN World Food Program. All of these are not plans, but established mechanism that has already started working. First ships have already departed,” he said.
On November 22, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua received 25,000 metric tonnes of wheat donated to Kenya, which he said will be distributed to counties severely affected by the ongoing drought.
The donation was communicated by Ukraine's Ambassador to Kenya Andriy Pravednyk.
“Ukraine continues to play a key role in global food security amidst the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict,” Gachagua said.
Kuleba said during his African tour in October, food security was the top-priority topic and that he assured his African counterparts and their countries that Ukraine spares no effort to expand food its exports to the continent.
Ukraine remains one of the leading food exporters globally, with the minister saying before the war, it supplied more than 15 per cent of the world's corn exports, 10 per cent of wheat, 15-20 per cent of barley, and more than 50 per cent of sunflower oil.
He added that they expect to produce 55 million tonnes of grain this year.
On October 18, Ambassador Pravednyk received a Super Henry ship that brought 51, 4000 tonnes of wheat from Ukraine, "the first time after Russia invaded Ukraine".
The envoy said a united position of African countries is required to preserve the grain corridor and prevent a global food crisis.
On Saturday, Kenya received the second shipment of 53,300 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat.
Ukraine Consular General in Mombasa Oleksii Sierkok said the shipment was procured under the Black Sea Grain Initiative agreed upon by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN on July 22.