Recipient African Countries Grateful for Russia's Free Grains
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
It was March 20, at the inter-parliamentary congress Russia-Africa. Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to make 'no-cost delivery' of grains to six African countries. This promised was renewed at the late July Russia-Africa summit held St. Petersburg.
Local Russian media picked up this to feed the public that Russia
is supplying free grains to entire Africa. Too much political
propaganda. Africa is not a country. Africa is a continent consisting 54
independent states. And yet Russia could not supply after several
months have passed, shifting blames to Western and European sanctions.
The
European Union has condemned Russia for the recent attack on a civilian
cargo ship near Odesa, which was a deliberate attempt to exacerbate the
global food security crisis, EU's External Affairs spokesman Peter
Stano said in a Twitter post on Nov. 9.
Stano
described Russia's attack as another escalation and evidence that the
country is terrorizing civilian maritime navigation. "By targeting
Ukrainian ports & export facilities Russia deliberately exacerbates
global food security crisis," he said, concluding that Russia ultimate
aims to disrupt global food security.
That
however, the latest information emerging indicates Russia was ready to
supply the grains to the six African countries. Western and European
sanctions are still in place, and time widened. European has prepared
its 7th package of sanctions, these six African countries have shown
their greatest sign of economic weakness despite boasting of resources,
and are still expecting free grains from Russia.
While
the Kremlin might be right that Africa has reasons for its deep-seated
poverty, African leaders allowed these to remain untapped, and largely
engaged in singing geopolitical chorus instead of making serious efforts
to improve their own economic situation. Russia, of course, remains an
eternal reliable partner, ready to feed Africa. Africans show their
highest excitement for this humanitarian food, give an ear-deafening
applause for the generosity offered by Russia.
Quite
recently, Interfax Information Agency, Tass News Agency, Sputnik and
Russia Today (RT) reported that Russian grain supplies to African
countries will start within a month and a half. "We are now completing
the work on all documents. I think they will go within one to 1.5
months," Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev told reporters in
reply to a question on when grain supplies to Africa will start.
As
reported, President Vladimir Putin said at the Russia-Africa forum in
July that Russia was ready to supply from 25,000 to 50,000 tonnes of
grain to several African countries free of charge in the coming months.
He was referring to supplies to Burkina Faso, the Central African
Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia and Zimbabwe. Grain delivery will also
be free.
According to the Telegram channel of the
Russian Federal Customs Service, Russia has shipped 25,000 tons of wheat
from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk as humanitarian aid to one of
the six African countries selected earlier this year as a recipient of
such food security assistance.
"A vessel arrived
at the maritime port of Novorossiysk to load 25,000 tons of wheat. The
cargo is intended for one of the African countries as humanitarian aid.
Customs officers, as a priority matter, carried out the necessary
operations and released the goods," says the statement from the Russian
Federal Customs Service.
Russia will donate
200,000 tons of wheat to six African countries by the end of 2023, head
of the second department of the CIS countries at the Russian Foreign
Ministry Alexey Polishchuk said in an interview with TASS. "By the end
of the year, we plan to donate another 200,000 tons of wheat to six
African countries: Somalia, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso,
Zimbabwe, Mali and Eritrea," underlined Alexey Polishchuk of the Foreign
Ministry.
Leave a comment
- Popular
- Rated
- Commented
04/11/2021 - 11:05:02
12/03/2023 - 22:58:08
22/01/2023 - 11:24:06
13/12/2015 - 09:27:08
01/03/2021 - 09:00:37
Opinions
30/04/2024 - 01:33:18
17/04/2024 - 22:46:39
08/03/2024 - 02:04:01
Politics
02/05/2024 - 23:52:49
30/04/2024 - 01:33:18
22/04/2024 - 15:18:30
Terror Watch
29/04/2024 - 03:37:51
28/04/2024 - 02:39:40
Press Releases
30/04/2024 - 22:03:16
18/04/2024 - 21:29:03
Recipient African Countries Grateful for Russia's Free Grains
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh It was March 20, at the inter-parliamentary congress Russia-Africa. Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to make 'no-cost delivery' of grains to six African countries. This promised was renewed