Malawi has become the first recipient of fertilizer donated by Russia to assist developing countries that have been hit hard by rising global crisis, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the global body welcomed Russia’s decision to donate 260,000 metric tonnes to avert a food crisis in Africa.
“The United Nations welcomes the donation of 260,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer from Russian Federation fertilizer producers stored in the European ports and warehouses, which will serve to alleviate humanitarian needs and prevent catastrophic crop loss in Africa, where it is currently planting season,” Dujarric said in a statement.
He announced that a ship carrying the first 20,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer destined for Malawi left the Netherlands on a World Food Programme (WFP)-chartered vessel bound for the southern African country on Tuesday.
“It will be the first of a series of shipments of fertilizer destined for a number of other countries on the African continent in the coming months,” he said.
The fertilizer donation initiative is part of the agreements signed in Turkey in July to address global food insecurity and to ensure the unimpeded exports of critical food and fertilizers from Ukraine and Russia to world markets.
The WFP said smallholder farmers in Africa have been particularly hard hit by rising costs and supply chain blockages triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war.
The two countries are key food and fertilizer exporters to developing countries.
JN/APA