At UN request, Latvia allows sanctioned Russian fertilizers out of country

On April 21, 2023, on behalf of the UN World Food Programme, a batch of mineral fertilizers was shipped from the port of Riga to Kenya.

This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Ukrinform learned.

This is the first cargo from about 200,000 tonnes of fertilizers of Russian origin owned by companies subject to the European Union’s restrictive measures and stored in the territory of Latvia.

The World Food Programme is planning to deliver some more shipments of the currently sanctioned mineral fertilizers from Latvia in order to give support to countries that need those products most.

As previously reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on December 6, 2022, the Latvian government made this decision to respond to a request from the UN to reduce the negative consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine and to help overcome the food crisis in Africa and Latin America.

The Government of Latvia has decided to facilitate the donation, with the support of the UN World Food Programme, of mineral fertilizers owned by companies sanctioned by the EU.

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Together with its foreign partners and international organizations, Latvia continues providing support for the countries that have been affected by the food crisis triggered by Russia’s war on Ukraine.

As reported, Ukraine sent 541,700 tonnes of agricultural products to low-income and below-average income countries within humanitarian programs.

Ukraine is a participant in several humanitarian programs aimed at fighting hunger globally. In particular, President Volodymyr Zelensky initiated the Grain from Ukraine program. It provides for the purchase of Ukrainian grain by partner countries and its shipment to nations suffering from a humanitarian crisis. The program is being implemented in partnership with the World Food Programme under the auspices of the United Nations.

In addition, the World Food Programme implements a separate program to purchase food in Ukraine for countries on the brink of famine.