Grain from Ukraine Initiative Saves 20 Million People from Hunger in Two Years

Since its launch, the Grain from Ukraine initiative has managed to save 20 million people from hunger in the world.

This was announced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the 3rd International Conference on Food Security ‘Grain from Ukraine’.

‘In total, since the beginning of the Grain from Ukraine programme, 20 million people have been saved from hunger. And this is only thanks to our humanitarian programme. In total, Ukrainian food exports supply 400 million people in one hundred countries. Ukraine is one of the world's largest donors of food security,’ Zelenskyy said.

He noted that Ukraine maintains a leading position in ensuring global food security despite the war.

‘I want to remind you that the full-scale Russian invasion began, in particular, with the blockade of Ukrainian ports by the Russian fleet. Russia understood very well what the consequences would be. They wanted it - they wanted a terrible outcome for the whole world, not just for Ukraine. They wanted food prices to rise in the world. It's not just about wanting more money and profits, but it's about plans. If they can create a food catastrophe, it means they can conquer a nation that depends on food imports,’ the President of Ukraine said.

Zelenskyy stressed that the issue of food prices is extremely sensitive for most peoples in Africa and a significant number of people in Asia, Europe and America.

‘The question of prices is a question of stability in a particular region. That is why it is so important that we continue to stand together in protecting food security, the security of food supply routes and other critical export goods,’ the President of Ukraine said.

According to him, Russia's war against Ukraine has shown that there are no countries in the world that are far from each other, and everything in the world is very closely connected.

‘Food prices in Libya, Nigeria, and other African countries directly depend on whether farmers and agricultural companies in Ukraine can work normally, on how quickly we can clear our fields of Russian mines, on how quickly the usual stability of the food market is restored,’ Zelenskyy stressed.

He thanked the farmers who continued to work despite the war and land mines.

The Ukrainian humanitarian initiative Grain from Ukraine was launched in 2022. The programme provides much-needed food to countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East whose populations are facing famine and potential famine. In cooperation with the UN World Food Programme, more than 30 countries and international organisations have joined Ukraine in implementing this initiative, and by the end of 2023, more than 170 thousand tonnes of grain were delivered to countries with the most difficult food situation, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Yemen.