Free grain supplies from Russia to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Eritrea have significantly contributed to the fight against acute hunger in these countries, according to Oleg Kobyakov, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) office for liaison with the Russian Federation.
"Earlier, Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the completion of the delivery of 200,000 tons of grain to six African countries as gratuitous food aid. It went to such countries as Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, and Eritrea. This is a significant contribution to alleviating acute hunger in these countries," Kobyakov said in an interview with TASS.
The received supply covered 23% of Somalia's total annual wheat import needs (balance deficit - 215 thousand tons), 9% for Burkina Faso (283 thousand tons), and 6% for Mali (405 thousand tons). Kobyakov highlighted the importance of this aid being gratuitous, free of charge for the final recipients.
Kobyakov noted that "Russia actively and effectively cooperates with the FAO-affiliated UN World Food Program (WFP), providing nearly $300 million worth of assistance to 30 countries in different regions of the world, mainly in Africa, through the program's channels" However, he emphasized that "these humanitarian supplies should be categorized as emergency and one-time support measures."
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Based on materials from TASS