Tomorrow, the ship Negmar Cicek will be sent from Chornomorsk port to the Republic of Yemen, which will deliver 30,000 tons of humanitarian aid. This is already the sixth ship within the Grain from Ukraine food program.
Today, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solskyi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Ukraine Bridget Brink, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to Ukraine took part in the departure ceremony. Also in attendance were Ricardo López-Aranda Hagu, Deputy Head of the Mission of the French Republic in Ukraine, Benjamin Rohrig, Deputy Director of the UN World Food Program in Ukraine, and Marianne Ward.
Oleksandr Kubrakov thanked all partners for their support and emphasized that thanks to joint efforts it was possible to extend the grain initiative for another 120 days. Ukraine will continue to provide needy countries with food.
"Since the beginning of the initiative, more than 25 million tons of grain have been shipped from the ports of Odessa region. I hope our partners will continue to support this program; we will help the countries that need this help the most. Even during the war, Ukraine, together with its partners, thinks and helps the poorest countries," Oleksandr Kubrakov noted.
The Minister of Agricultural Policy Mykola Solsky emphasized that the Grain from Ukraine program has become permanent. Every month, new ships are sent from Ukrainian ports. Donors of aid to Yemen were the USA, Spain and France.
"Thank you to the USA, France, and Spain for supporting this program. With these countries' funds, the ship is sent to Yemen. Grain from Ukraine is important for many reasons. First of all, it is a humanitarian mission that shows that Ukraine supports its African partners, even in such a difficult time for us. The second aspect emphasizes the importance of the grain initiative, to the continuation of which a lot of effort was put into it," Mykola Solsky noted.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USA to Ukraine Bridget Brink emphasized the importance of the humanitarian mission for the world and Ukraine. According to her, 65% of wheat exports under the Black Sea Grain Initiative are given to developing countries.
“We visited a ship that is loading grain to be sent to Yemen to feed the millions of people in need in that country. The US will continue to support the initiative and help expand the Black Sea Grain Initiative. If it weren't for the artificial limitation of ship inspection in the Bosphorus, 45 ships could be dispatched daily," said Brigitte Brink.
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain in Ukraine announced that Spain will add another 14.4 million euros to the previously announced more than 236.5 million euros. These funds are allocated within the framework of the Spanish Food Security Strategy.
"We are very glad that Spain could join this program. To support Ukraine in helping countries at risk of a food crisis not only in Africa, but also in Latin America and Asia," said Lopez-Aranda Hagu.
Deputy head of the mission of the French Republic in Ukraine, Benjamin Rorig, called Grain from Ukraine a significant contribution to solving the problems of ensuring food stability in the world. He emphasized that France was the initiator of the solidarity corridors introduced by the EU, thanks to which more than 20 million tons of grain were exported from the spring of 2022.
"The war started by Russia against Ukraine aggravated the world's food security problems, reducing the possibilities of food production and transportation. A side effect of this war on a global scale is the deterioration of the food security situation in several countries in Africa, the Near and the Middle East. We welcome the noble and sincere gesture that Ukraine is making to help solve this problem," said Benjamin Roehrig. He also added that France would continue to support Ukraine's initiatives.
The Deputy Director of the UN World Food Program in Ukraine, Marianna Ward, emphasized that the Black Sea Grain Initiative helps maintain stable grain prices worldwide and ensures access to food for the poorest countries.
“When the ports were idle, grain prices hit their 10-year high, nearly 30% higher than in 2021. Unfortunately, an increase in the price of grain by only 1% leads to approximately 10 million people finding themselves below the poverty line. Today's ship to Yemen is an important humanitarian ship. It goes to one of the most starving countries in the world," said Marianna Ward.
Grain from Ukraine is a humanitarian mission initiated by President Volodymyr Zelensky. As part of the program, it is planned to send about 60 ships with grain to the poorest countries in Africa. The goal is the direct purchase of agricultural products by the project's participating countries from Ukrainian producers and their transfer to countries on the brink of famine. Previously, 5 vessels were sent under this program:
â— NORD VIND ship delivered 25 thousand tons of wheat for Ethiopia;
â— BC CALLISTO ship delivered 30 thousand tons of wheat for Ethiopia;
â— NEVA ship delivered 25 thousand tons of wheat for Somalia;
◠ship Amira Hana – 30,000 tons of wheat for Ethiopia;
◠ship Valsamitis – 25 thousand tons of wheat to the Republic of Kenya (port of Mombasa) and 5 thousand tons to Ethiopia.
