The African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has expressed concern over Russia’s decision to suspend the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a pact that facilitated grain export from Ukraine.
Amidst heightened global food prices due to the conflict in Ukraine, the decision by Russia, a significant grain exporter, could exacerbate the situation.
The agreement, mediated by the UN and Turkey, was designed to prevent a global food crisis by allowing grain-filled ships from Ukraine to access international markets via Black Sea ports.
In the course of a year, the agreement facilitated the export of 32.8 million tons of grains and other foodstuffs across over a thousand sea crossings.
Russia recently withdrew from the pact, citing the sanctions imposed on it due to the Ukraine conflict as the reason for its inability to honor the agreement.
Most of these grain exports were destined for high-income countries, which had been a point of criticism from Russia, arguing that the agreement was meant to ease international market prices and alleviate the 2022 food crisis affecting poorer nations.
Mahamat urged a resolution to this situation, emphasizing the need for uninterrupted grain flow, particularly to Africa.
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the organization’s largest humanitarian entity, utilized this agreement for 80% of its wheat purchases, which were sent to several African and Middle Eastern nations.