The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development are planning to provide $670 million in food assistance to countries in need due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to an April 27 news release, the agencies will use $282 million from the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust to bolster emergency food operations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen. An additional $388 million will be provided from the Commodity Credit Corporation to assist with ocean freight transportation, inland and internal transport, shipping and handling and other costs.
"Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine, a fellow major agricultural export country, is driving food and energy costs higher for people around the world," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the news release. "America’s farmers, ranchers and producers are uniquely positioned through their productivity, and through the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, to help directly feed those around the world impacted by these challenges."
About 40 million people "could be pushed into poverty and food security" because of the invasion, the news release reported.
"In Ukraine, which provides 10% of the world's wheat, farmers are struggling to plant and harvest their crops for fear of shelling and Russian landmines, and their path to exporting these vital commodities is severely restricted by Russia's invasion, which caused the closure of Ukraine's ports," USAID Administrator Samantha Power said in the release. "Putin's decision to wage a senseless and brutal war against a peaceful neighbor is leading to a staggering global food crisis. Today's drawdown of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust will help us respond to the unprecedented needs in countries around the world hat are facing historic food insecurity."
