Africa-Press – Botswana. A ship made, Friday, the first shipment of wheat from Ukraine for food aid in Ethiopia, the first delivery of food to Africa, as part of the plan mediated by the United Nations to release grain held in that country.
For months, fighting and a Russian blockade have caused grain produced in Ukraine, known as the world’s breadbasket, to be held in silos, driving up food prices and leading to famine in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia. In recent days, several ships loaded with grain left Ukrainian ports under the new agreement, but most of the shipments were animal feed and were destined for Turkey or Western Europe.
However, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced that the first shipment of the World Food Program (WFP) of humanitarian aid to Africa would take place yesterday and that after loading the ship it would depart. In the afternoon, the MarineTraffic website showed the ship sailing towards southern Ukraine.
Charles Michel said that the ship loaded with grain would go to Ethiopia, stressing that “the cooperation of all the actors involved is essential” to alleviate food shortages and hunger around the world. This shipment represents, according to the same official, only a small part of the approximately 20 million tons of cereals held in Ukraine.
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