StratCom explainer: Global food security remains Ukraine’s unwavering priority

Ukraine remains committed to its international obligations and continues to ensure the uninterrupted supply of food products to the most vulnerable countries despite Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal and attacks on Ukraine’s port infrastructure.

That’s according to the Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security, Ukrinform reports.

“Ukraine remains one of the world's largest producers and leading exporters of food. Despite the Russian military aggression, in 2023, Ukraine managed to harvest 81 million tons of grain and oilseeds, of which 50 million tons were supplied to foreign markets,” StartCom reports.

Despite Russia's withdrawal from the grain agreements and constant attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure, Ukraine remains committed to its international obligations and continues to ensure the uninterrupted supply of food to the countries that are most dependent on external supplies, the report stressed.

The country's efforts have been recognized by the Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), StratCom added.

“Ukraine is actively working on the creation of a new mechanism for insuring ships against war risks Unity Facility, designed to ensure the stability of shipping and the safety of maritime transportation,” notes the report.

It is noted that the war has led to a drop in grain and oilseed production in Ukraine by about 20% so an end to Russian occupation and missile terror would increase the supply of Ukrainian food to the global market, the report concludes.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, as of December 29, 2023, Ukrainian agrarians harvested 79.2 million tons of new crops, including 58.392 million tons of grains and 20.764 million tons of oilseeds. 

In the 2023/2024 marketing year (MY) (from July 1 to January 5, 2024), Ukraine exported 18.999 million tons of grains and legumes.