Who benefits from the Ukrainian grain exports?
Fair or not?
Using the data provided by UN (source below), I’ve managed to analyse with #tableaupublic where have the Ukrainian grains been exported since August 2022.
Well developed countries have been the receipient of far much more grains than other, not so developed countries, where the food insecurity is wide-spread, to say the least.
So, let’s have a look at what the official numbers say.
In Europe alone, the top recipient is Spain (1,471,607 metric tonnes), followed by Italy (737,138 mt), Netherlands (466,254 mt), Romania (249,846 mt – once called ”the Granary of Europe”), Germany (233,277 mt), and France (110,508 mt). The European list can go on with a few more. In addition, non-European countries such as China, Turkey, Iran and Israel are also in the top. Please feel free to access the link and see the data yourselves.
Now, let’s have a look at what the countries in more acute need of food have received through this Black Sea Grain Initiative: Yemen (36,500 mt), Somalia (58,500 mt), Ethiopia (52,759 mt), Afghanistan (30,000 mt), Iraq (33,000 mt). All these 5 combined, have received TOGETHER 210,759 metric tonnes of graines. That’s 7 times less than what Spain got alone, 3 times less than Italy, 2 times less then Netherlands, and so on.
Clearly, the countries in the second tier have received just a fraction of what their big sisters from Europe have got. I see two options: Either the European countries have been the final recipients of the grains, either they have re-exported the grains to other countries in real need of it. Both these options seem unfair, in my humble opionion.
What I conclude is that some International organisations (e.g. WFP, FAO, WHO, UNICEF, etc.), western governments, politicians and public media could do a slightly better job at helping the people located in countries so ravaged by wars, food insecurity, lack of education, and so many other conditions that keep them so far away from reaching at least a decent level of living. Next time when a UN add will pop-up in my social media apps to ask for donations for the Yemeni, Somali or other children that are starving….I will get annoyed….again.
data source: https://www.un.org/en/black-sea-grain-initiative/vessel-movements
