Ukraine will host the second Grain from Ukraine summit to raise additional funds

In autumn, Ukraine plans to hold the second Grain from Ukraine summit to ensure the further functioning of the initiative.

“In the fall of this year, we plan to hold the second Grain from Ukraine summit in order to raise additional funds for this program to function. Therefore, we need to encourage a wider range of countries to join this program,” said the special representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa, Maksym Subh, in an interview with Ukrinform .

He recalled that almost 3 million tons of grain have been delivered to Africa since the beginning of the “grain corridor” and about $200 million in donor support has been collected.

The Grain from Ukraine initiative has had honorary ambassadors — well-known African politicians and economic figures. During his visit to Ethiopia, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited warehouses where Ukrainian grain is stored and noted that the initiative should continue to work.

Subh said that Ukraine has official appeals from several African countries asking to help them with grain as part of the “grain initiative”. Currently, the search for “logistics tools” to ensure this is underway. After all, it is much easier to deliver grain to countries that have access to the ocean (for example, to Ethiopia, Somalia, or Kenya) than to countries where it is not available.

“But we are working with the World Food Program to find ways to meet the needs of these countries,” Subh assured.

Read also: 170,000 tons of Ukrainian grain have already been sent to African and Asian countries