$30 billion to support food security in countries affected by the Ukraine crisis.. Iraq is commenting

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$30 billion to suppor t food security in countries affected by the Ukraine crisis.. Iraq is commenting

 

 2022-05-19 02:42

 

Shafaq News/ Today, Thursday, the World Bank announced the allocation of 30 billion US dollars to help prevent the food security crisis caused by the Russian war in Ukraine, while the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that the country was not significantly affected by this crisis.

 

The bank said in a statement seen by Shafak News Agency, that "the amount will be allocated in areas such as agriculture, nutrition, social protection, water and irrigation, and this financing will include efforts to encourage food and fertilizer production, strengthening food systems, facilitating increased trade, and supporting families and producers most in need."

 

"The total amount will include $12 billion in new projects and more than $18 billion in existing food projects that have been approved but not yet disbursed," the bank said.

 

"The rise in food prices has devastating effects on the poorest and most vulnerable," World Bank Group President David Malpass said in a statement.

 

"To achieve market stability, it is critical that countries make clear statements now about increased production in the future in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine," he added.

 

The majority of the resources will go to Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and South Asia, and these regions are among the hardest hit by the impact of the war in Ukraine on grain supplies.

 

The World Bank expected that support for new projects, agriculture and social protection, would mitigate the effects of high food prices on the poor and water and irrigation projects.

 

For his part, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Hamid Al-Nayef, told Shafaq News, that "Iraq was not significantly affected by the Ukrainian-Russian crisis," stressing that "Iraq does not import wheat from these two countries."

 

Al-Nayef indicated that "the affected countries have direct economic contact with them," noting that "Iraq has control over the wheat stockpile." He also stressed that "the bread is secured," noting that "the receipt of wheat has currently reached nearly 900,000 tons, and the ministry continues to receive it quickly."

 

A spokesman for Iraqi agriculture confirmed, "There is currently support from the Council of Ministers for farmers, and therefore we do not need countries or international organizations to help us."