2023-07-27 17:36:21
Vladimir Putin opened this Thursday, July 27 the second Russia-Africa summit, organized in Saint Petersburg, by promising to deliver free cereals to six African countries: Zimbabwe, Somalia, Eritrea, Mali, the Central African Republic and the Burkina Faso. “Our country can replace Ukrainian cereals commercially but also in terms of (humanitarian deliveries) free of charge,” he said, affirming that Russia was a “solid and responsible” producer.
On July 17, Russia’s refusal to extend the agreement which allowed the export of Ukrainian cereals raised many fears in Africa, which is very dependent on these exports, in particular because it would cause a sharp rise in prices. In his speech, Vladimir Putin justified his decision by saying that Western countries were “obstructing” deliveries of Russian fertilizers and cereals. “None of the conditions of the agreement concerning Russian deliveries of cereals and fertilizers have been fulfilled,” he denounced. L’Express takes stock in figures of the importance of cereals on the African continent.
33 million tons delivered by Ukraine last year
Prior to 2022, Ukraine was one of the largest grain exporters in the world. It supplied about 45 million tons each year. But since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, these Ukrainian grain exports have been severely disrupted. For more than four months, Russian military ships blocked Ukrainian Black Sea ports. On July 22, 2022, the UN and Turkey thus negotiated an agreement with Russia, aimed at opening a safe maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea (the Black Sea grain initiative).
In one year, the agreement had enabled nearly 33 million tonnes of cereals to leave Ukrainian ports, helping to stabilize food prices and avert the risk of shortages. According to data from black sea grain initiative joint coordination center64% of wheat exports under the Black Sea Grain Initiative went to developing countries.
625,000 tonnes released for the World Food Program
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the world’s largest humanitarian organization, also transports wheat from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. Before the war, the WFP bought half of its grain stock from Ukraine. Since the launch of the initiative in August 2022, it has increased to 80%. More than 725,000 tonnes of wheat left Ukrainian ports bound for countries that WFP supports, including Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti. Even before the war began and Ukraine and Russia together supplied 30% of the wheat in the world, 283 million people were suffering from hunger on the African continent alone.
“If the Black Sea Initiative is not renewed, East Africa will be very hard hit”, warned Dominique Ferretti, of the regional office for Africa of the World Food Program (WFP). a month. “A number of countries depend on Ukrainian wheat. Without this wheat, food prices would rise significantly,” he warned, as Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia may be able to replace Ukraine.
A food price index down 11.6%
If the countries of the continent are so keen to maintain an agreement for the export of Ukrainian cereals, it is also because they make it possible to maintain stable prices and avoid world-wide shortages. So far, the Initiative has even succeeded in lowering food prices. According to the United Nations, the FAO Food Price Index stood at 140.6 in July 2022, when the Initiative was unveiled. It has fallen by 11.6% since then, reaching 122.3 points in June 2023. Over the same period, the FAO Cereal Price Index fell by 14%, from 147.3 points to 126, 6 points, thanks in part to increased global supply facilitated by the Black Sea Initiative.
#RussiaAfrica #Summit #grains #vital #continent