Russia reports shipping 200,000 tonnes of free grain to six African countries
Russia has announced that it has delivered 200,000 metric tonnes of free grain to six African countries, as President Vladimir Putin promised in July last year.
Russia supplied 50,000 tons to Somalia and the Central African Republic, as well as 25,000 tonnes to Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, and Eritrea.
This was disclosed by the Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev while briefing president Vladimir Putin during a meeting, according to Reuters news agency.
The Black Sea grain initiative helped to cut worldwide market prices. However, Putin maintained that it was failing to deliver supplies to the countries in the most immediate need.
Putin had promised to deliver free grain to the six countries at a summit with African leaders in July, soon after Moscow withdrew from a deal that had allowed Ukraine to ship grain from its Black Sea ports despite the war Russia has been waging.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to rising food prices in Africa, impacting over 25 countries that import more than a third of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine combined.
