Africa wants to grow its own grain

The long-term blockade of grain exports from Ukrainian ports has become a “wake-up call” for countries in Africa and the Middle East. This is what South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday, July 22, The Guardian wrote.

Ramaphosa said the latest drop in grain supply should inspire African countries to increase food production and reduce reliance on imports.

At the same time, he expressed hope that the agreement to unblock Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea will alleviate the global food shortage.

“Are we ready to rely on foreign grains, fertilizers for many years? Should we say that this conflict is a wake-up call, because Covid has been a wake-up call for many of us in continent of Africa to start making our own vaccine?” he said in a press conference.

“Africa should start producing its own fertilizers,” the South African president added.

In Africa and the Middle East, grain prices have risen sharply in recent months due to reduced supplies.

It will be remembered, today the Secretary General of the UN António Guterres announced the signing of an agreement on the export of grain from Ukraine along the Black Sea through the ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny. The document was signed in Istanbul.

Earlier, the adviser of the Office of the President, Mikhail Podolyak, emphasized that Ukraine has not signed any agreement with Russia. Kyiv concluded an agreement only with Ankara and the UN. Russia in the same way signed a similar document only with representatives of the UN and Turkey.

The document was published on the grain corridor