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Grain From Ukraine program

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Grain From Ukraine
Зерно з України
FormationNovember 26, 2022
Purposefood security[1]

Grain From Ukraine (Ukrainian: Зерно з України) is a humanitarian food program that was launched on November 26, 2022, on the 90th anniversary of the beginning of the Holodomor of 1932–1933, by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to supply grain to the poorest countries in Africa.[2]

History

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Wheat flour from Ukraine in Port Sudan, Sudan (February 2024)

Prior to 2022, Ukraine was one of the key World Food Programme grain suppliers and the world's 4th largest grain exporter. The country also accounted for over 15% of global corn exports, 10% of wheat, 15-20% of barley and over 50% of sunflower oil.[3] The blockade of Ukrainian ports by the Black Sea Fleet in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion interrupted grain exports, rapidly increasing global food prices and fueling food crises, greatly increasing the risk of famine in the poorest countries.[4]

David Beasley, the Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme, has estimated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has pushed around 70 million people to the brink of starvation worldwide.[5]

Grain exports from Ukraine were resumed within the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July and August 2022.[4] From August to November 2022, over 11 billion tons of supplies went to 38 countries, and WFP and USAID resumed humanitarian shipments to the poorest countries.[6]

The Grain from Ukraine program was proposed by the president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the 2022 G20 Bali summit as a way to support humanitarian shipments to the countries in need and Ukrainian grain producers.[7][8][9] The initiative was officially launched on November 26, 2022, at the International Summit on Food Security in Kyiv, held on the 90th anniversary of Holodomor.[10][11]

Ukrainian authorities emphasized that the Grain from Ukraine program aims to highlight the role of Ukraine as a responsible member of the global community and to challenge the Russian propaganda which puts the blame for the food crises on Ukraine and its Western partners.[11]

To date, the Grain from Ukraine program has accumulated financial support of around 220 million USD, and more than thirty countries and international organizations have joined the initiative.[12] The Ukrainian Government is working to increase the number of donor countries participating and the financial contributions received to the program.

Format

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The goal of the Grain from Ukraine program is to prevent famine and provide food to no less than 5 million people in the poorest countries of Africa and Asia, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Sudan, Southern Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Kenya, and Nigeria. Grain from Ukraine is due to be expanded, with support provided to more countries including Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar, Djibouti, Liberia, Mauritania, Lebanon, and others.[13]

Ukrainian authorities have scheduled around 60 shipments to take place under the program, each providing food to up to 90 thousand people.[14] Donor countries purchase the grain from a separate pool, accumulating harvest from small and medium-sized farms. The freight costs are covered by the Grain from Ukraine program participants.[8][9][15]

Since the start of the initiative, 170,000 tons of wheat have been sent to countries facing food insecurity and famine.[16] Notable shipments include:

  • In December 2022, a ship carrying 25,000 tons of wheat arrived at the port of Doraleh in Djibouti, bound for neighboring Ethiopia[17]
  • In March 2023, a vessel carrying 30,000 tons of wheat arrived in Mombasa, Kenya[18]
  • In February 2024, 7,600 tons of wheat flour arrived in Port Sudan, Sudan, providing support to those affected by the ongoing conflict in the country[19]
  • On 29 February 2024, a special event was held in Abuja, Nigeria, to welcome the arrival in the country of 25,000 tons of grain, which had landed at Port Harcourt the previous month. This will support those in Nigeria who are food insecure or displaced as a result of current conflict in the country[20]

Ukraine has also established the International Co-ordination Group for the Prevention of Hunger, which includes representatives of governments, corporations and philanthropists who can directly influence the food needs of millions of people around the world.[21] The Co-ordination Group will develop a joint global action program – a roadmap to prevent the global food crisis from worsening. The World Food Programme, together with Ukraine and donor countries, is identifying recipient countries for Ukrainian grain among those facing acute food shortages.

Participants

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Donations to Grain from Ukraine total around US$220 million from over 30 countries and international organizations.[7]

  • Ukraine purchased 50,000 tons of grain for the first two ships (around 420 million hryvnas); Germany and Japan paid for the freight.[22]
  • The European Commission donated funds to purchase 40,000 tons of grain.[23] This came in addition to EUR 1 billion provided within the Solidarity Lanes food export program.[10]
  • USAID provided US$20 million in addition to US$173 million donated to WFP to purchase grain within the Black Sea Grain Initiative[7] and over US$11 billion in humanitarian aid provided to the poorest countries in 2022.[4][24]
  • South Korea donated US$3 million via the WFP.[25]
  • Sweden donated SEK 100 million (US$9.5 million) in addition to SEK 400 million provided earlier to WFP.[26]
  • Other donors included Austria (US$3.9 million), the UK (US$6 million), Canada (US$30 million), Netherlands (US$4 million),[27] France (US$20 million),[10] as well as Germany, Qatar, Norway, Poland,[28] Turkey, and Japan.[7]

'Grain from Ukraine' ambassadors

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As of March 2024, seven ‘Grain from Ukraine’ ambassadors have been appointed to promote the program and its impact on alleviating hunger around the world:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ukraine, partners launch $150 mln grain export plan to help vulnerable nations". Reuters. November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  2. ^ Zhuravlyova, Olga (2022-11-26). "У роковини Голодомору стартувала програма "Зерно з України"". dw.com. Deutsche Welle.
  3. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "The United States Announces Additional Funding to Deliver Ukrainian Grain to the World's Most Vulnerable". U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  5. ^ "UN warns up to 345 million people marching toward starvation". The Independent. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  6. ^ Ольга Журавльова (2022-11-26). "У роковини Голодомору стартувала програма "Зерно з України"" [Grain from Ukraine program launched in the anniversary of Holodomor] (in Ukrainian). DW. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  7. ^ a b c d Bill Tomson (2023-01-04). "Ukraine ramps up efforts to show its grain feeds the needy". AgriPulse. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  8. ^ a b "Программа Grain from Ukraine предусматривает обеспечение зерном минимум 5 млн человек до конца весны-2023" [Grain from Ukraine will help to supply grain for 5 mil people before June 2023] (in Russian). Интерфакс. 2022-11-15. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  9. ^ a b Юрий Тарасовский (2022-11-15). "Украина запускает гуманитарную "зерновую" программу. Она должна помочь украинским производителям и беднейшим странам" [Ukraine launches a humanitarian grain programme to help Ukrainian farmers and the poorest countries] (in Russian). Forbes. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
  10. ^ a b c Giorgio Leali (2022-11-26). "Ukraine's initiative to send grain to Africa gets Western support". Politico. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  11. ^ a b Wintour, Patrick (2022-11-26). "Kyiv opens Grain from Ukraine scheme to get food to Africa's poorest countries". The Guardian.
  12. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Владимир Зеленский – В рамках программы Grain from Ukraine планируем отправить из наших портов по меньшей мере 60 судов в страны, которым угрожают голод и засуха" [Grain from Ukraine plans to send no less than 60 ships to prevent famine — Zelensky] (in Russian). Interpressnews. 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  15. ^ Kibii, Eliud (5 December 2022). "Ukraine sows its offensive across Africa through grain diplomacy". The Africa Report. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  17. ^ Ljunggren, David; Maler, Sandra (4 December 2022). "Ukraine says ship with wheat for Ethiopia arrives, part of anti-famine push". Reuters. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  18. ^ "First ship with 30 thousand tons of Ukrainian wheat arrived in Kenya as part of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Grain from Ukraine humanitarian program". The Presidential Office of Ukraine. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Emergency food aid from Ukraine arrives in war-torn Sudan". World Food Programme. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  20. ^ "Nigeria welcomes Ukrainian grain shipment". No. January - February 2024. International Trade Magazine. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  22. ^ Валерій Сааков, Лілія Ржеутська. "Grain from Ukraine коштувала Україні 420 мільйонів гривень". DW. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  23. ^ "Grain from Ukraine: European Commission pays to ship 40,000 tons of Ukrainian grain via two boats". EU Neighbours East. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  24. ^ "Administrator Samantha Power at the Grain from Ukraine Initiative Launch". USAID. 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  25. ^ "Korean Government to Join "Grain from Ukraine" Initiative". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea. 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  26. ^ "Ukrainian grain alleviates the global hunger crisis". Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden. 2022-12-15. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  27. ^ "Launch of "Grain from Ukraine" Program". Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit. 2022-11-23. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  28. ^ Dominic Culverwell (2022-11-28). "Ukraine launches "Grain From Ukraine" scheme". bne Intellinews. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  29. ^ "Former Somaliland Minister Mohmmad Abdullahi Appointed Ambassador for "Grain from Ukraine"". Pan African Visions. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  31. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  32. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  33. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  34. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  35. ^ "Grain From Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
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