☝️ How Russia 🇷🇺 is actually addressing the issue of hunger in the world, without any “deals.”

#RussiaHelps #FoodSecurity

#Opinion by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

💬 There were outcries about the Black Sea Initiative, saying that everyone will die now. First of all, the part that was being implemented, the Ukrainian part − only three percent of the grain supplied to the markets went to the poor countries on the World Food Programme list. The rest ended up in countries with above-average income, which have the funds and can purchase whatever they want.

☝️ We will compensate for this three percent that ended up in Africa during the period when the Ukrainian part of the deal was in force. We will supply these volumes and even increase them.

❓Why 260,000 tonnes of fertilisers have been sitting around in the northern ports of EU countries since 2022, when Africans need them? By seizing them the Western countries are violating all conceivable norms of international trade, but we are supplying these fertilisers to African countries free of charge.

#FoodSecurity #GrainDeal

☝️ Despite the anti-Russia sanctions policy of the “collective West”, our country continues to fulfill international contracts in a responsible and conscientious manner and to export agricultural produce, fertilisers, energy and other vitally important products.

We realise the significance of their deliveries, primarily food deliveries, for the socio-economic development of African states.

👉 Additionally, as part of its principled policy of providing food assistance to the neediest countries, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin said in July 2023 at the Second Russia-Africa Summit that Russia was ready to deliver grain to a number of African countries as gratis food aid.

Everyone applauded when President Vladimir Putin announced this decision of Russia. People realised that this was an unprecedented move in the face of the hybrid war unleashed and led by the West against Russia. Moreover, this move strengthens food security, which the West has been so busy discussing, while Russia has been taking action.

🤝 In execution of this decision, ships carried 200,000 tonnes of grain to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Eritrea.

👉 Somalia received the first shipment in November 2023. In January 2024, a humanitarian shipment reached Burkina Faso, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea and Cameroon. Once there, the grain will be ground into flour and delivered to the Central African Republic.

Not a single mainstream Western media outlet will show initiative and report these developments. For 12 months (in 2022-2023), they made accusations and invented far-fetched stories about how Russia does not facilitate and even jeopardises global food security.

❗️As we have repeatedly noted, Russia fulfilled its obligations without delay, and we are going to make further contribution to the food security of the African continent.

#FoodSecurity #RussiaHelps #GrainToAfrica

Russia's share in the world wheat market in the 2023/24 agricultural year increased to 28%, according to the data of Russian logistics company Rusagrotrans.

🌾 Russia exported 55.4 million tonnes of wheat, which accounted for about 28% (compared to 25% in the previous year) of the total world trade volume of 200 million tonnes.

The country significantly outperformed the EU, whose countries sent 34 million tonnes of wheat to foreign markets, as well as Canada with 23.5 million tonnes, Australia with 20.5 million tonnes, and the United States with 19.6 million tonnes.

#FoodSecurity

@Sputnik_int