Le Drian calls for support to Ukraine’s agricultural sector, nations most affected by war

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian calls for food solidarity to support Ukraine and the countries most affected by the ongoing war. He also notes that the EU seeks to avoid a global food crisis with the help of the FARM initiative.

The top diplomat stated this at the Regional Conference for Europe of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Ukrinform reports.

According to the French FM, global food security is at a growing risk due to the war in Ukraine. The situation is already critical as more than 800 million people are already facing food-related challenges.

Jean-Yves Le Drian views that the response to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine should include food solidarity. As Ukraine is an advanced agricultural nation that supplies grain and other food products to world markets, the French foreign minister believes that the essence of the European involvement in the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) is supporting the Ukrainian agricultural sector and the countries most affected by the war today.

He stressed the importance of FAO deepening its work on analyzing the implication of the war on Ukraine's agricultural products. The draft decision, penned by about 40 countries, calls for intensifying European collective efforts. EU member states encourage their partners to accept it in order to send a strong signal to all Europeans, according to the minister.

"This is also the point of the European Union's meticulous work to ensure that our economic sanctions don’t affect our food security. They are aimed only at Russia's ability to continue the war, as well as at Russia's elite," he added.

The minister also stressed the importance of the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission (FARM) initiative for food security in the most vulnerable countries, adopted by the European Council in March, which aims to strengthen the sustainability of global food systems in coordination with other international initiatives.

"We are convinced that we can do it," Le Drian said, stressing the importance of coordinating the private sector and key players in the multilateral food security system.

As Ukrinform reported, the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences predicts that this year will see a decline in production for almost all types of agricultural products in Ukraine.