Ankara reported exporting only 5.4% of Ukrainian grain to the poorest countries

Only 5.4% of the grain exported from Ukrainian ports as part of a food deal is shipped to the poorest countries, Turkish Agriculture Minister Vakhit Kirishci said.

“As of January 8, 16.9 million tons of grain and food products were transported along the “grain corridor” on 633 ships. Only 5.4% of grain is exported to the least developed countries,” he said (quote by A Haber).

Previously, the fact that only a small part of the grain exported as part of the food initiative goes to the poorest countries, indicated Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Foreign Ministry.

On January 5, Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also discussed implementation of the grain deal. Putin reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to supply agricultural products to the poorest countries. “We are ready to assist, grind grain into flour at Turkish enterprises and supply it to underdeveloped African countries,” Erdogan added.

On December 15, Putin said that Russia continues to help the poorest countries by supplying them with food, while the West pulls the blanket over itself. Then he said that in the near future Russia was ready to transfer about 260,000 tons of fertilizers to needy countries free of charge.

On July 22, representatives of Turkey and the UN signed separate agreements with representatives of Russia and Ukraine on the export of Ukrainian grain, as well as on assistance in the export of Russian grain and fertilizers. But soon the Russian authorities accused the West of non-compliance with the second part of the agreement, which concerns the memorandum between Russia and the UN. At the same time, the UN said that they were working on lifting restrictions that hinder the export of Russian agricultural products.