Russia to supply free grain to African countries soon: Ministry

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Aug 2023 00:29

The Russian Agriculture Minister says Russia will supply 25,000-50,000 tonnes of grain to six African countries free of charge in the near future.

Russia grain (TASS)

Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev revealed on Thursday that Russian grain will be delivered free to Africa in the near future.

"We will supply grain to African countries free of charge. So far, we are talking about six countries and supply volumes from 25,000 to 50,000 tons, this is being worked out now. I think that these deliveries will be carried out in the near future," Patrushev indicated.

The Minister reminded that last year, Russia exported a record amount of grain (60 million tons), adding that in the 2023-2024 season, Moscow plans to ship around 55 million tons.

"This year we plan to export about 55 million tonnes [based on] our crop plans. This figure can be adjusted upwards in the course of harvesting," he said.

"If we see that our forecasts for harvesting in terms of grain volume are growing, we will adjust the figure in terms of export volumes as well."

It is noteworthy that in late July, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed Russia's readiness to deliver 25,000-50,000 tonnes of grain to Burkina Faso, Mali, Eritrea, and a number of other African countries for free.

During the second Russia-Africa Summit that took place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg from July 27-28, Putin highlighted that despite sanctions on Russian exports, Russia delivered 11.5 million tonnes of grain to African countries in 2022 and nearly 10 million tonnes in the first six months of this year.

The Russian leader underlined that Russia is making every effort to prevent a global food crisis.

Putin pointed out that the West creates obstructions to the supply of Russian fertilizers to African nations for free and to the supply of Russian grain to the continent.