World Food Programme to step up cooperation with Ukraine in 2023: Denys Bashlyk

The World Food Programme will increase cooperation with Ukraine in 2023. This was stated by Denys Bashlyk, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization, following the talks with Corinne Fleischer, WFP Regional Director, and Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Country Director in Ukraine, which took place in Odesa region as part of a meeting between Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, and Svenja Schulze, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development.

“Representatives of the World Food Programme assured us that they were ready to expand cooperation with Ukraine this year. I would like to emphasize that cooperation will be aimed not only at increasing humanitarian aid and their direct participation in the Grain from Ukraine program, but also at helping to demine the territories. We are especially talking about small farms that do not have the means to do this on their own,” said Denys Bashlyk.

He added that the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food was grateful to the World Food Programme for participating in the Grain from Ukraine food initiative of the President of Ukraine.

“The World Food Programme is our main partner in this project and we will jointly pursue and expand this program to help countries in need strengthen their food security,” the Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food emphasized.

Also, during the working visit to Odesa, a briefing was held with Denys Bashlyk, where he said that the Grain Corridor is currently facing major problems. They are caused by russia indiscriminately blocking absolutely all ships passing through the Bosporus. Such actions provoke artificial famine in countries that depend on grain imports.