From Aidoghie Paulinus, who was in Kyiv
The Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Vitaliy Koval, has said that the Grain from Ukraine Initiative is a symbol of Ukrainian solidarity with the world.
In this interview with Daily Sun on the sidelines of the third meeting of the Grain from Ukraine Initiative within the framework of the Food Security Summit in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, Koval disclosed that through the initiative, over 280 thousand tonnes of agricultural products which included wheat and wheat flour, corn, peas and oil, have been shipped to 12 countries in Africa and Asia.
He also said that looking into the future, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has proposed to expand the list of recipient countries to include Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as countries in the Middle East and Africa, even as the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is also interested in including Lebanon among the recipients of the humanitarian aid.
Koval further explains why Ukraine is establishing grain hubs in Nigeria, saying it will allow food aid to be delivered more efficiently to the regions that need it most, reducing the time and cost of transportation.
Ukraine has convened the third meeting of the Grain from Ukraine Initiative within the framework of the Food Security Summit. To what extent has this initiative been implemented?
In total, over 280 thousand tonnes of agricultural products (wheat and wheat flour, corn, peas, oil) have been shipped to 12 countries in Africa and Asia under the Grain from Ukraine initiative: Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Yemen, Nigeria, Sudan, Palestine, Malawi, Mozambique, Djibouti, Mauritania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As a result of the two summits, donor funds were raised: more than USD 290 million.
One might expect that Ukraine, a country at war, should focus its energy on how to win the battle with Russia, not on this initiative. Isn’t the Grain from Ukraine programme a distraction for Ukraine?
Ukraine has always been one of the largest food exporters in the world, and now it has become a unique historical example – a country at war that is also providing food to the world. Ukrainian farmers are not only sowing and harvesting, but are also giving other countries confidence in the future.
The idea behind the Grain from Ukraine initiative is simple, yet extremely powerful. It is a symbol of Ukrainian solidarity with the world. Food is not a weapon. It is a means of helping others. We provide grain to countries that need it most, to those facing the threat of famine. Ukrainian wheat, corn and other crops that our farmers grow with great effort go to Africa, the Middle East and Asia. We are talking of about 400 million people for whom our help is a matter of life and death.
During the summit, a number of countries made financial contributions to the initiative. How is Ukraine going to allocate the resources?
The UN World Food Programme is our permanent partner in the Grain from Ukraine initiative. According to the current situation with hunger and access to food in the countries that need support the most, the raised financial contributions will be reduced to supply Ukrainian grain, flour, oil, etc. to the respective countries. A preliminary list of countries is provided in the answers to the following questions. Specific volumes of eligible food to be sent to these countries will be agreed upon through a request to the recipient country and approval by the donor country. Upon final agreement, WFP will procure the identified food in Ukraine and arrange the logistics for delivery and distribution of the food in the recipient country.
Africa is one of the main continents on which the programme is focused. What explains this fact?
Africa is one of the continents covered by the Grain from Ukraine programme because of the large number of countries facing acute food shortages and the risk of famine. Many African countries, such as Ethiopia, Somalia, Nigeria, Kenya and Sudan, are experiencing humanitarian crises caused by conflicts, droughts and economic difficulties, which leads to food shortages. Ukraine, as one of the world’s leading grain exporters, initiated the Grain from Ukraine programme to provide humanitarian assistance to these countries by supplying them with Ukrainian grain and helping to overcome the food crisis. The programme also has a diplomatic component, as it allows Ukraine to strengthen its relations with African countries, which are becoming increasingly important in the context of international support.
The government of Ukraine reports that the recipients of grain under this humanitarian programme are countries suffering from food shortages, such as Ethiopia, Somalia, Nigeria, Kenya, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and others. What criterion did Ukraine use for the categorisation?
In accordance to the United Nations (UN), a record 345 million people in 82 countries are currently facing acute food insecurity. About 50 million in 45 countries are on the verge of starvation.
Also, according to UN reports, in particular the UN World Food Programme, a number of African countries are currently facing food crisis, which has led to an increase in the number of people in these countries suffering from hunger or acute malnutrition.
In order to help overcome the consequences of natural disasters, in particular, long-term drought and floods, and to prevent the occurrence of a famine crisis in the Republic of Sudan, the Republic of Yemen, the Republic of Kenya and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it became necessary to provide humanitarian assistance to these countries.
Article 10 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Humanitarian Assistance’ stipulates that Ukraine may provide humanitarian assistance to other states based on humane principles.
In accordance with the Procedure for the Provision of Humanitarian Aid by Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs the competent authorities of the states of the decision taken, negotiates the type, list and volume of humanitarian aid, specific (qualitative) requirements for certain types of humanitarian aid, the procedure, time and points of delivery, routes, banking and other details of the recipients, types of vehicles to deliver the humanitarian aid, time and point of crossing the state border of Ukraine.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the UN WFP, has identified potential recipients of humanitarian aid, taking into account the needs of states and the logistical capabilities of WFP (for the distribution of goods).
President Zelenskyy said that thanks to this initiative, Ukraine has managed to save 20 million people from starvation, and that Ukrainian food exports will feed 400 million people in 100 countries. What techniques did Ukraine use to achieve this?
Despite the war, the Ukrainian agricultural sector continues to operate and ensure international food security, supplying products for 400 million people in more than 120 countries.
This year’s harvest of grains and oilseeds in Ukraine is forecast at 75 million tons, which is enough to ensure domestic and international food security. Today, we have good export dynamics. In fact, even during the large-scale war, Ukraine did not lose any value. On average, our annual foreign exchange earnings from agricultural exports amount to USD 22 billion. Our products are sought after in Southeast Asia and Africa, so diversifying the supply channels for our products is a commitment and priority of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.
The main ways to export Ukrainian products are by sea, rail and road.
Looking to the future, how many people are Ukraine going to feed and in which countries?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine proposes to expand the list of recipient countries for Ukrainian grain to include Latin American and Caribbean countries such as: Bolivia, Honduras, Ecuador, Guatemala, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Belize, as well as countries in the Middle East and Africa: Ghana, Lebanon, the Republic of Chad, the Union of the Comoros and the Republic of the Congo. WFP was informed of the need.
Following a meeting between representatives of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food and WFP on October 24, 2024, WFP generally supported the proposals of the Ukrainian side to expand the list of recipient countries of humanitarian aid and is considering the possibility of including Bolivia, Honduras, and Guatemala in the relevant list. The WFP is also interested in including Lebanon among the recipients of humanitarian aid and is working on the issue with the WFP headquarters in Rome. At the same time, WFP has no objection to the inclusion of the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Chad.
Last year, Ukraine announced the establishment of grain hubs in Nigeria. What does this mean and how soon will both countries see them become operational?
The creation of grain hubs in Nigeria involves the organisation of logistics centres for the storage and distribution of Ukrainian grain. This will allow food aid to be delivered more efficiently to the regions that need it most, reducing the time and cost of transportation. It is also an important step that will not only strengthen humanitarian support, but also contribute to regional food security.
However, we must not forget that at the same time, appropriate business conditions must be created to make Ukraine and other countries interested in exporting to the African continent.
For its part, the Ukrainian side has already asked the Nigerian side to identify operators to purchase wheat batches of up to 100 thousand tonnes from Ukraine, and received a response that SMK Flour Mill Ltd.
Considering the humanitarian catastrophe this war has created, is it not wise for Ukraine to make concessions and let the world move on?
In our opinion, Russia should step back and, as you’ve said, let the world to move forward, as Ukraine is not the country who invaded territories of the other country.