There is an indication of an improved grain supply in Nigeria as a shipment of 25,000 tons of Ukrainian grain will soon be transported from the Turkish port of Samsun to Africa’s largest economy as part of the Grain from Ukraine program.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnarm disclosed this recently.
He stated that the grain is currently being stored in Turkey under the aegis of the United Nations World Food Program.
The envoy also examined the port and the Fuat Sezgin vessel, which will convey the cargo to Nigeria as part of the Grain from Ukraine program.
The ambassador emphasized preparations to deliver another 60 ships from other ports.
“During the Black Sea Grain Initiative, this grain was delivered in bulk from one of the ports in Ukraine.
“It is now being held in Turkey under the aegis of the United Nations World Food Program. We must work with the World Food Program to send grain to countries like Nigeria.
“The grain that will be loaded on the ship for about ten more days is 25,000 tons; we will depart for Nigeria after loading. The journey to the Nigerian coast will take another 20 days, depending on weather conditions”, the envoy stated.
Recall that Nigeria’s ex-Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyema, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mohammad Abubakar, signed the “Grains from Ukraine Project” in Abuja in January with Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Mykola Solskyi.
This is as the more than a year-old conflict between Ukraine and Russia caused worldwide supply shortages, forcing the signature of the UN-backed Black Sea grain deal in 2022 to guarantee a safe passage for grains to countries suffering from food hunger, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa.
However, in July 2023, Russia withdrew from the agreement after it expired, claiming that grains did not reach the countries that needed them the most and that their commodities were not allowed for export.
