A ship with 23,000 tons of UN grain leaves Ukraine for the Horn of Africa

MADRID, 16 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure has reported that a first ship with about 23,000 tons of grain, chartered by the World Food Program (WFP), has left this Tuesday from the port of Pivdennii, in the Ukrainian city of Yuzhne, towards Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa.

"Currently, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the United Nations are working on ways to increase the food supply for the socially vulnerable sectors of the African population," he said in a statement, adding that there are already 17 ships with grain that have left Ukrainian ports.

According to data provided by the WFP, some 345 million people in 82 countries face acute food insecurity, while up to 50 million people in 45 countries are on the brink of famine and at risk of being cut off from humanitarian support. .

Shipping this shipment will help alleviate the effects of drought, especially in the Horn of Africa, where hunger and adverse weather conditions are destroying livelihoods in these countries.

"Opening the Black Sea ports is the most important thing we can do right now to help the world's hungry," said WFP Executive Director David Beasley, who noted that "something more is needed than ships to end hunger in the world".

Despite this, he stressed that, thanks to the protection agreement signed last month in Istanbul between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations, the return of Ukrainian grain to the world market will allow "the world food crisis not to worsen even more ".