Cereal export subsidy programme introduced in deficient and hungry countries on the anniversary of the Holodomor famine in Ukraine
Up to 60 Ukrainian grain vessels may be shipped by the middle of next year to some of the world’s poorest African countries, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview with The Guardian.
In a move that calls for situating the Russian narrative that the West’s reaction to its war with Ukraine has worsened pre-existing food shortages in Africa, Zelenskiy said ships leaving the Ukrainian port of Odessa can succeed in humanitarian hotspots such as Sudan, Yemen and Somalia, but only as long as foreign investment comes in to subsidize grain.
The programme is organized through a combination of government entities, NGOs and private companies. The first 3 shipments were to depart from Odessa to Sudan, Somalia and Yemen, a German-funded shipment has already left for Ethiopia.
Zelenskiy said he launched the program on the anniversary of the Holodomor, when millions of Ukrainians starved to death in a man-made famine from 1932 to 1933. The programme is supported by a new foreign coordinating organization for hunger prevention.
Zelenskiy said in a statement: “Even as the country struggles with food shortages, devastated farmland and widespread blackouts, we will never fulfill our role as guilty citizens of the world, especially after experiencing famine as a nation. Africa is in desperate need of food and Ukraine is in a position to help other vulnerable people in times of need.
Andriy Yermak, head of the president’s office, said the launch represents a key historical moment not only for Ukraine but also for all countries facing severe food shortages due to the ongoing conflict. Yermark appealed to the foreign community, adding personal foundations, to fund the charge of sending food to starving countries.
Russia agreed last week to make the Black Sea Corridor grain deal bigger for 120 days. Since the publication of the agreement, the lifting of the Russian blockade on Ukrainian grains through the Black Sea to Turkey, a total of 11 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products have reached 38 countries.
However, some of the poorest countries have been left out of the market due to high grain prices. The new mechanism is designed to ensure that market pressures that ship grain to regions such as Europe can be counteracted. The essence of the program, called Grain from Ukraine, is for countries involved in the task to buy agricultural products from Ukrainian manufacturers, giving priority to small and medium-sized enterprises, and move them to countries on the brink of famine.
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The U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has already agreed to provide up to $20 million through the United Nations World Food Program. James Cleverly, the British Foreign Secretary, also announced an additional budget for its stopover in Ukraine on Thursday.
Egypt and Madagascar count on Russia or Ukraine for more than 70-80% of their wheat, while Somalia imports more than 90% of their wheat needs. Eritrea imports one hundred percent of its grain from Ukraine and Russia.