The government of USA alerted 14 countries in May, most of them located in Africathat there was a possibility that Russia trying to sell stolen grain in Ukraine. The State Department of the North American country has indicated that there are indications that at least three ships could transport grain stolen from Ukraine, according to reports in the newspaper New York Times.
Washington’s alert has increased the dilemma for many African countries, which face food and supply problems in the middle of the Ukrainian war. UN data indicates that Ukraine and Russia generally supply about 40% of the grain imported by Africa.
Due to the conflict, the price of grains has increased by 23% over the last year. In the horn of africathe drought it has left some 17 million people on the brink of starvation, especially in countries like Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has indicated that there are indications that “invading forces” are carrying out grain exports from temporarily occupied territories in Kherson, Zaporizhia, Luhanks, Donetsk and Kharkiv, among other regions. The stolen grain is being transported to Russia or to the peninsula of crimeaaccording to the Ukrainian authorities.
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In addition to the alleged theft of grain, there is a danger that grain harvested in Ukraine will be blocked in the country and cannot be exported to consuming countries. According to the president Volodymyr Zelenskythis fall the figure could rise to 75 million tons of blocked grain.
At a press conference in kyiv, Zelensky explained that he had held talks with the United Kingdom and Turkey for a third country to guarantee the passage of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, dominated by Russia.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.