Posted on November, 6, 2023 at 10:47 am
For decades Ukraine has been one of the biggest suppliers of grain in the world. After the full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian Black Sea ports were blocked, trapping 20 million tons of export grain. In July 2022, Ukraine and Russia agreed a deal - brokered by Turkiye and the UN - allowing cargo ships to sail along a corridor in the Black Sea. Almost 33 million tonnes of grain were shipped from Ukraine under the deal, and world food prices decreased by roughly 20%, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. According to the UN, Ukraine supplied 725,000 tonnes of grain to the World Food Programme, which was sent as humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The grain deal expired on 17 July this year after Russia pulled out of it. Since then, Russia has launched a series of air attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, destroying thousands of tonnes of grain. As of October 2023, more than 300,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain have been destroyed by precise Russian strikes.
By disrupting traditional supply chains, Russia has pushed at least 70 million people worldwide to the verge of starvation. According to the UN, a total of 345 million people now suffer from catastrophic food shortages, and eighty-two countries need food aid. It should be noted that before 2022 Ukraine annually produced food for 400 million people.
Now Ukraine is actively seeking a way out of the global food crisis caused by Russia and is making incredible efforts to help people around the world who have faced food shortages, keeping its promises as a world food guarantor even despite its war against the aggressor.
Food security is one of the key pillars of the just and lasting peace, which is defined in President Zelenskyy’s “Peace Formula”. The “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian food programme, claimed to guarantee food security, was launched by the President of Ukraine and presented during the inaugural “International Summit on Food Security” in Kyiv on November 26, 2022.
As a result of the First Summit, the “Grain from Ukraine” programme, implemented in close partnership with the UN World Food Program, garnered support of approximately $220 million. As part of the programme, Ukraine has sent 170,000 tonnes of wheat to countries with the most complicated food situation, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, and Kenya. The “Grain from Ukraine” programme is planned to be expanded to Nigeria, Sudan, Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar, Djibouti, Mauritania, Lebanon, and other countries.
Over 30 countries and international organizations have already joined the “Grain from Ukraine” programme, including Qatar, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
As the Ambassador of Ukraine in the State of Qatar I am pleased to see this country among the participants of the programme. I would like to emphasize, that both Ukraine and the State of Qatar share common values such as peace, stability, steady global development, and food security worldwide. In this connection, I would like to note with pleasure that the State of Qatar pledged $20 million last November to support food security and alleviate the suffering of those affected by the ongoing crisis.
Today, Ukraine is actively working with its partners on the preparation of the Second “Grain from Ukraine” Summit, which is to be held under the auspices of the President of Ukraine in late November. More than 60 leaders of countries and organizations have been invited to participate in the summit, including, of course, the State of Qatar. We count on the participation of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in this Summit.
Ukraine invites Qatar to continue its participation in the programme and allocate funds to finance ships carrying Ukrainian grain to the most vulnerable countries. The upcoming summit’s extended format will allow us to explore additional opportunities and agree on an algorithm for cooperation in implementing joint projects for grain storage, primary processing, and transporting agricultural products to recipient countries.
Source: The Peninsula