Ukraine announces grain initiative to help 'world's poorest with food'

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukraine on Tuesday announced a new grain shipment program designed, in the president’s words, to help the world’s “poorest with food.”

“We have launched the initiative – ‘Grain From Ukraine’,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video address to this week’s G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. “And the first vessel – Nordwind – leaves for Ethiopia with 27,000 tons of wheat on board. This is the amount that can feed almost 100,000 people per year.”

He added: “There can be many such ships from Ukraine, and therefore there will be many people in poor countries who are saved from starvation.”

Zelenskyy announced the program as part of a set of 10 solutions he proposed in order to end the war with Russia, which started this February.

Giving more details on the program, Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, wrote on Telegram: “Its essence is the direct purchase of agricultural products by the countries participating in the project from Ukrainian producers and their transfer to countries on the brink of famine.”

Stating that the program will be conducted in partnership with the UN World Food Program (WFP), Yermak underlined that the Nordwind vessel left for Ethiopia with the support of the WFP and the German government.

“The program envisages providing grain to at least 5 million people by the end of spring 2023,” Yermak said.

He added that he will ensure coordination and implementation of the program, which seems in part designed to address criticisms that most of the Ukrainian grain exported under a deal reached this July went to Western nations, not needy countries.

That deal is set to expire on Saturday, though many global actors, from the UN to Türkiye – which helped broker the landmark deal – are pushing for its renewal.

Yermak also said a global group to fight hunger is being created under Ukraine’s initiative.

“The International Coordination Group for the Prevention of Hunger includes representatives of the governments of countries, corporations, patrons who can directly influence the provision of food needs of millions of people in the world,” said Yermak.