Share Of States In Need Receiving Food Under Grain Deal Down To 3% - Russian Envoy To UN

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th February, 2023) The share of countries in need among those receiving Ukrainian food as part of the grain deal has decreased from 4% to 3% of the total number of recipients, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said in an interview with Sputnik.

The initiative to export grain from Ukraine has turned from a humanitarian one into a purely commercial one, the diplomat said, adding that more than 20 million tonnes of food was freely exported from the three Black Sea ports � Odesa, Chornomorsk, Yuzhne � as of February 6.

"A total of 551,527 tonnes (3%) were sent to countries in need (Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Djibouti), including 396,169 tonnes (2%) transported on WFP-chartered ships," Nebenzia said, noting that in the first 120 days of the initiative, the share of these countries was almost 4% instead of the current 3%.

Most supplies were sent to high-income countries (the EU, the UK, etc.) that received 8.6 million tonnes of cargo (47%), to countries with above-average incomes (China, Jordan, Malaysia, etc.) � 6.1 million tonnes (33%), and to states with lower middle income (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc.) � 2.9 million tonnes (16%), he added.