Agriculture ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries have committed to help rebuild agricultural facilities in Ukraine damaged by the ongoing war.
Following a two-day meeting in Japan, the ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US and the EU issued a communication in which they condemned Russia’s “illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine”.
They said they were “deeply concerned” about the “devastating impact” the war is having on global food security due to price spikes in fertiliser, fuel and grain.
G7
The ministers called for the extension, full implementation and expansion of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
The deal brokered by the United Nations (UN) and Turkey has allowed Ukraine to export more than 27 million tonnes of grain from several of its Black Sea ports since last July.
However, Russia has indicated that it will not allow the initiative to continue after May 18, unless its demands around grain and fertiliser exports are met.
“We condemn Russia’s attempts to use food as a means of destabilisation and as tool of geopolitical coercion and reiterate our commitment to acting in solidarity and supporting those most affected by Russia’s weaponisation of food.
“We will continue to design our restrictive measures against Russia to shield population in need from unintended consequences by ensuring food and fertilisers are carved out,” the G7 ministers said.
In 2022, an additional 10.7 million experienced chronic hunger because of the war in Ukraine according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN.
Farmers
The G7 group said that it is ready to “support the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine” by sharing experience, knowledge and expertise to remove mines from agricultural land.
The ministers committed to help the “reconstruction of agricultural infrastructure such as irrigation, warehouses and food processing facilities destroyed by Russia”.
“We will also continue to support its small-scale farmers’ access to finance and inputs such as seeds, in collaboration with international organisations, as well as implementation of digital and other new technologies to enhance sustainable agricultural productivity,” the ministers said.