Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solsky held online working meetings with Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty of the Italian Republic Francesco Lollobrigida and Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom Mark Steven Spencer.

During the meetings the officials discussed the problem of global food security and the role of Ukrainian grain in stabilizing the world food market as well as providing assistance to the poorest countries suffering from hunger. According to the UN, a record 345 million people in 82 countries are currently facing acute food insecurity. About 50 million people in 45 countries are on the verge of starvation.

To avert this problem, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy initiated an extensive campaign to provide humanitarian aid in the form of grain supplies to Africa and Asia. Its implementation depends not only on the readiness of Ukraine, but also on the functioning of the grain corridor and the support of international partners.

“Problems with the export of grain from Ukraine cause problems all over the world: the price of grain is rising and there is a high probability that this trend will continue. Poorer countries suffer the most. That is why the President of our country came up with the initiative to provide humanitarian aid to African countries through the supply of Ukrainian grain. This initiative is implemented together with the World Food Program and covers the following countries: Ethiopia, Somalia, Nigeria, Yemen, Congo, Sudan, Kenya,” Mykola Solsky noted.

He added that as of today the USA, Poland, Japan and a number of other countries have decided to participate in this program.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty of the Italian Republic Francesco Lollobrigida stressed that the food shortage in Africa may cause a new wave of migration to Europe, which Europe may find hard to cope with, and assured of Italy’s unconditional support for the Ukrainian humanitarian initiative.

Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom Mark Steven Spencer also stressed the importance of the humanitarian program and expressed full support for Ukraine.