DISINFO: Ukrainian grain went to rich Europeans instead of starving children in Africa
SUMMARY
Initially, it was said that the Ukrainian grain was being exported to help starving children in Africa. However, it later turned out that only about three percent of the grain ended up on the continent, while the bulk of it ended up in Europe.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aiming to deflect Russia’s responsibility for the food crisis and supply insecurity by claiming that most of Ukraine's grain is sent to rich European countries.
Russia's responsibility for the global food crisis comes as a consequence of the unprovoked and unjustified Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine: naval blockade of Ukrainian posts, bombardment of transport infrastructure and shelling of farming regions.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine destabilised global food markets and drove food prices up due to increased cost of production, transport and freight insurance. Russia has destroyed substantial food stocks, production, as well as processing and transport capacities in Ukraine.
It is not correct that only 3% of Ukrainian grain was sent to Africa, but 12% according to figures from the UN Joint Coordination Centre. Also, Europe does not receive the majority of Ukrainian grain, but about 40%, while Asia-Pacific receives about 46%.
In fact, 57% of Ukrainian grain ends up in developing countries, and 80% of the contents of the World Food Programme (WFP) food aid kits come from Ukraine. WFP delivers food kits and ready-to-eat food rations, primarily in hard-to-reach and frontline areas where commercial supply lines are disrupted and access to food is unreliable. Food kits typically comprise wheat flour, pasta, oats, canned beans or meat, sunflower oil, sugar and salt.
See similar cases that the West provoked the food crisis, that the West swallowed food from Ukraine like a vacuum cleaner, disregarded the poorest countries; that Russia suspended grain deal because all Ukrainian grain goes to Europe; that only 3% of Ukrainian grains end up in poor countries; the rest go to EU countries; Ukrainian grain goes to Europe instead of poor and developing countries, and that the EU kept most of the ships with Ukrainian grain, only 2 went to developing countries.