MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th December, 2022) The second vessel carrying 30,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat has set sail for Ethiopia as part of the "Grain from Ukraine" program, Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure said on Sunday.
"The process of loading and departure of the vessel BC Callisto. It is carrying 30,000 tonnes of wheat for Ethiopia. This is the second vessel sent within the framework of the 'Grain from Ukraine' program, launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in partnership with the UN World Food Programme," the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, media reported, citing head of Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak, that the first ship under the initiative brought 25,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat to Ethiopia.
Last month, Zelenskyy said that the "Grain From Ukraine" international humanitarian project would help recover food security in the poorest countries, including Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen.
On November 26, Zelenskyy, during the visit of the heads of governments of Hungary, Belgium, Lithuania and Poland to Kiev, officially launched the "Grain From Ukraine" initiative, which stipulates that, by the end of spring 2023, Ukraine should send at least 60 ships with grain to countries threatened by famine and drought, namely Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Congo, Kenya and Nigeria.
On July 22, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations struck a deal to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships with food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that most of the ships carrying Ukrainian grain did not make it to the world's poorest countries and ended up in Europe. At the same time, Putin has voiced his concerns that Russian products are not entering the global markets as promised by the agreement. Since then, the grain deal, originally scheduled to expire on November 19, has been extended for another 120 days.
