Rabat – A UN-chartered ship carrying more than 23,000 metric tonnes of wheat will be leaving the Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi in the coming days, according to Reuters. It is the first ship destined for Africa since port activity resumed in Ukraine.
The ship will sail to Ethiopia through a grain corridor in the Black Sea brokered by the UN and Turkey in late July.
Denise Brown, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, said the grain was urgently needed in Ethiopia, and that the UN will continue working to see that shipments are delivered to various African countries.
The continent’s food security crisis was significantly exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war, as the two countries are among the world’s top exporters of grains.
Meanwhile, countries like Morocco experienced severe droughts preventing their domestic agricultural output from making up for the loss.
In late July, the UN and Turkey brokered a deal to let Ukrainian export ships leave ports peacefully.
The deal was heralded as a relief to the world, as the developing world in particular continues to suffer shortages and price hikes in essential foodstuffs.
A total of 16 ships have departed from Ukraine so far, with the program being looked on very positively by UN officials according to Reuters.
