The United States Agency for Development Assistance (USAID) claimed to have provided $68 million to the World Food Program (WFP) for the purchase, transport and storage of 150,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat.
“USAID (…) supported the first humanitarian shipment of grain to leave the Black Sea via the Ukrainian port of Yuzhny,” the agency said in a statement, recalling that before the crisis, Ukraine was the one of the main suppliers of cereals to the WFP.
The first humanitarian ship chartered by the UN to transport Ukrainian grain left the Ukrainian port of Pivdenny on Tuesday, with some 23,000 tonnes destined for Africa, the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure announced. “The Brave Commander ship carrying grain for Africa has left the port of Pivdenny. This morning, the cargo ship left for the port of Djibouti, where the food will be delivered upon arrival to consumers in Ethiopia,” the ministry said on Telegram on Tuesday.
These 150,000 tons of wheat supported by USAID will support ongoing emergency food aid in countries facing serious food crises, the US agency said. The United States has provided nearly $7.6 billion in aid to address the global food security crisis since the war in Ukraine began, USAID said.
“USAID humanitarian assistance, including our support to the WFP, includes direct food assistance, as well as other forms of support, including clean water, health care and protection to meet the needs caused by food crises,” continued the American agency.
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