Ukraine wants G7 to form organization of grain-exporting nations to tackle food scarcity

Amid the ongoing ruthless war in Eastern Europe, the Ukrainian government has proposed the Group of Seven (G7) countries to create an influential organization of grain exporting countries to tackle the global market challenges. Speaking at the opening of the G7 Conference of Ministers of Agriculture in Germany, Mykola Solsky, Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy, claimed that a lot of food products could not enter the global market because of the challenges created due to ongoing war.

"7 million tonnes of wheat, 14 million tonnes of corn grain, 3 million tonnes of sunflower oil, 3 million tonnes of sunflower meal, and other crops were unable to enter the world market due to the blockade of Ukrainian seaports," he added, European Pravada reported. He further stated that this has already led to a record rise in world market prices. As a result, Solsky urged that the world's leading grain exporting countries should consider the formation of a prominent organization that would respond to challenges to food security, particularly from Russia. According to him, such an organization would play a role in imposing export restrictions on grains to stabilise prices and market predictability.

G7 nations must work out joint sustainable solutions for global food security: Ukraine

Furthermore, exporting countries will be able to create a mechanism for redirecting excess agricultural balances to the needs of the "green" sector of the economy, as well as impose common limitations on the hostile actions of importers, the Ukrainian minister noted. "In the coming days, G7 agriculture ministers must work out joint sustainable solutions that will ensure global food security and create a stable economic base for farmers," Solsky added. Earlier this month, Ukraine also accused Russia of stealing millions of tonnes of grains from its temporary occupied territories. 

Kremlin denies Kyiv's claim of Russian forces stealing Ukrainian grains

Meanwhile, Russia outrightly denied all accusations, claiming that Ukraine's assertion concerning Russian grain exports from its territory appears to be incorrect, and that those who made it did not bother to verify the information. Kremlin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov stated that they don't have any information on Ukrainian claims of Russia stealing grains and that it appears to be fake. Notably, Ukraine is a major grain exporter, and the Russian invasion has hampered exports, hiking global grain prices and raising concerns about severe grain shortages in importing countries.

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