Ukraine’s grain exports are crucial to Africa’s food security

Published 2024년 4월 8일

Tridge summary

The article outlines the dire consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on African grain imports, particularly wheat, with over 50% of imports to fifteen African countries being disrupted, leading to a 30 million ton grain shortage in the first year. It emphasizes the exacerbation of food insecurity in West, Central, and Southern Africa, affecting nearly 50 million people due to war and drought. The piece advocates for Western support in modernizing Ukraine's agricultural sector and developing alternative export routes, alongside leveraging economic statecraft tools to improve food security in Africa. This includes collaboration with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and supporting organizations like the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to increase agricultural capacity, aiming to reduce Africa's dependence on Russian grain and enhance global food security.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Ukrainian grain exports, especially wheat, make up a large portion of African grain imports. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, in 2020, over 50 percent of fifteen African countries’ imports of wheat came from Ukraine and Russia. Moreover, for six of these countries (Eritrea, Egypt, Benin, Sudan, Djibouti, and Tanzania) more than 70 percent of their wheat imports came from Ukraine or Russia. Russia’s full-scale invasion disrupted the exporting process due to the blockade of the Black Sea, occupation of territories, and active fighting. Along with the sharp increase in the cost, the Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered a shortage of about 30 million tons of grains on the African continent in the first year of the war alone. Moscow is trying to increase Africa’s dependence on its imports further by blocking the exports of Ukrainian grain. Russia pulled out of the Grain Deal that allowed Ukraine to export its grain despite Russia’s war. The Kremlin then offered Africa free grain ...

Source: Agrifocusafrica