DISINFO: The West provoked the food crisis
SUMMARY
We know who provoked the food crisis and how, and then aggravated it with anti-Russian sanctions. These are obvious blunders in the economic policy of Western countries. They printed a huge amount of money, began to rake food with a shovel from the world market into their countries. They put the poorest countries in a very difficult position. A little over 3 percent [of grain supplied in the frame of the 'Grain Deal'] only went to the poorest countries. Everything else went to the well-fed and prosperous 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 grains are sent to rich Western countries.
Russia's responsibility for the global food crisis comes as a consequence of the unprovoked and unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine: naval blockade of Ukrainian posts, bombardment of transport infrastructure and shelling of farming regions. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has destabilised global food markets and is driving 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.
On 22 July 2022, an agreement was brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye to open a safe maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea (the Black Sea Grain Initiative). Over 1 000 ships full of grain and other foodstuffs left Ukraine from three Ukrainian ports (Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi) during the implementation of the initiative.
As of July 2023, almost 33 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs had been exported via the Black Sea Grain Initiative. 65% of the wheat exported through the Black Sea Grain Initiative reached developing countries. Maize was exported almost equally to developed and developing countries.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP – the largest humanitarian organisation in the world) also shipped wheat from Black Sea ports. As of July 2023, the programme had bought 80% of its grain stock from Ukraine, up from 50% before the war. Over 725 000 tonnes of wheat left Ukrainian ports to Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti during the implementation of the initiative.
In July 2023, Russia announced its decision to terminate the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Russian withdrawal from grain deal puts Africa at risk of increased food insecurity.
See other similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that the EU is causing a global food shortage by keeping all the grain from Ukraine; Western sanctions cause a food crisis and price growth, that the food crisis has nothing to do with the Russian special operation, that Russia places no obstacles on the export of Ukrainian grain, or that Kyiv burned grains in Mariupol and mined the Black Sea to prevent its exportation.