ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd February, 2023) The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has transported 481 tonnes of wheat from Ukrainian ports under the Black Sea grain initiative, the humanitarian organization said Wednesday.
Since the signing of the initiative in July 2022, the WFP has transported over 481 tonnes of wheat from Ukrainian ports, the statement read. It also said that 16 vessels chartered by the WFP have been supporting the organization's operations in Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Somalia, while other WFP-chartered vessels have been transporting wheat flour after it was processed in Turkey.
The grain deal provided the desperately needed support to the world markets and helped lower food prices, the statement added.
The deal is designed to improve the global food supply, support future harvests, normalize markets and reduce prices for consumers all over the world, the WFP stated. The organization urged the sides to extend the agreement, which is set to expire on March 18, to protect the most vulnerable groups of people.
In July 2022, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations struck a deal to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships carrying food and fertilizers out of Ukrainian Black Sea ports. It is part of a UN- and Turkey-brokered package agreement that also includes a memorandum of understanding between Russia and the UN and unblocks exports of Russian grain and fertilizers in the Black Sea.
Last fall, the grain deal, originally scheduled to expire on November 19, was renewed for another 120 days and is now set to expire on March 18 if it is not renewed again. Moscow has criticized the UN for failing to fulfill its part of the deal on facilitating Russian agricultural exports to countries that need them.
