Recipient African Countries Grateful for Russia’s Free Grains -By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh

It was March 20, at the inter-parliamentary congress Russia-Africa. Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to make ‘no-cost delivery’ of grains to six African countries. This promised was renewed at the late July Russia-Africa summit held St. Petersburg.

Local Russian media picked up this to feed the public that Russia is supplying free grains to entire Africa. Too much political propaganda. Africa is not a country. Africa is a continent consisting 54 independent states. And yet Russia could not supply after several months have passed, shifting blames to Western and European sanctions.

The latest information emerging indicates Russia was ready to supply the grains to the six African countries. Western and European sanctions are still in place, and time widened. European has prepared its 7th package of sanctions, six African countries have shown the greatest sign of economic weakness despite boasting of resources, and are still expecting free grains from Russia.

While the Kremlin might be right that Africa has reasons for its deep-seated poverty, African leaders allowed these to remain untapped, and largely engaged in singing geopolitical chorus instead of making serious efforts to improve their own economic situation. Russia, of course, remains an eternal reliable partner, ready to feed Africa. Africans show their highest excitement, give an ear-deafening applause for the generosity offered by Russia.

Quite recently, Interfax Information Agency, Tass News Agency, Sputnik and Russia Today (RT) reported that Russian grain supplies to African countries will start within a month and a half.  “We are now completing the work on all documents. I think they will go within one to 1.5 months,” Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev told reporters in reply to a question on when grain supplies to Africa will start.

As reported, President Vladimir Putin said at the Russia-Africa forum in July that Russia was ready to supply from 25,000 to 50,000 tonnes of grain to several African countries free of charge in the coming months. He was referring to supplies to Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia and Zimbabwe. Grain delivery will also be free.

According to the Telegram channel of the Russian Federal Customs Service, Russia has shipped 25,000 tons of wheat from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk as humanitarian aid to one of the six African countries selected earlier this year as a recipient of such food security assistance.

“A vessel arrived at the maritime port of Novorossiysk to load 25,000 tons of wheat. The cargo is intended for one of the African countries as humanitarian aid. Customs officers, as a priority matter, carried out the necessary operations and released the goods,” says the statement from the Russian Federal Customs Service.

Russia will donate 200,000 tons of wheat to six African countries by the end of 2023, head of the second department of the CIS countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexey Polishchuk said in an interview with TASS. “By the end of the year, we plan to donate another 200,000 tons of wheat to six African countries: Somalia, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali and Eritrea,” underlined Alexey Polishchuk of the Foreign Ministry.