Ukraine Gate – Kyiv – June 20, 2022- The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Development will hold an international conference on food security in Berlin on June 24, including the issue of grain exports from Ukraine.
“We need to stabilize food supplies around the world. To this end, we are organizing a food conference in Berlin, “said Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock.
She called the issue of grain exports from Ukraine in the context of Putin’s ” grain war” one of the main tasks. The issue of improving the humanitarian and food situation in the world and providing food on a more stable basis also needs to be addressed.
The conference will be attended by the foreign ministers of a number of countries, including the head of the US State Department Anthony Blinken.
According to the Ministry of Development, Germany, as chair of the G7, has a special responsibility to find answers to the threat of world hunger caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, the central task in terms of food security is to find ways to export blocked Ukrainian grain. Germany and its partners are working to secure a “grain bridge”, as exports to the Black Sea are currently virtually impossible.
“The task of the international community is to create new and long-term ways to export Ukrainian grain. We have launched a Solidarity Plan with our partners in the EU and specifically promised Ukraine € 500,000 in capacity-building assistance at the port of Izmail, on the border with Romania, to reduce the pressure on the Polish border, through which much grain is transported by road. to transport grain on the Danube “, – the spokesman Julian Meat informed.
He reminded that before the war Ukraine exported an average of 5 million tons of grain a month. Thanks to the efforts of many parties, about 1.7 million tons were exported in May, which, although not in line with pre-war capabilities, still means some progress.
Meanwhile, German Development Minister Svenya Schulze on Monday pledged further support to the World Food Program (WFP) to tackle the acute hunger crisis, increasing it from 28m to 70m euros this year.
The World Food Program is Germany’s most important multilateral partner in the fight against hunger in the world. This year, these commitments are more important than ever: according to WFP, the number of acute hunger strikers has increased by 200 million in the last two years, from 135 million in 53 countries to 345 million in 82 countries today.
Last year, Germany was the second largest donor to the runway with 1.2 billion euros.
