Ukraine today became a member of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which concludes the process initiated in 2016 by the European nation to form part of the United Nationswhich now comprise 178 countries.
“We are delighted to welcome Ukraine as our newest member. Ukraine’s membership is strongly aligned with IFAD’s mission to ensure that all rural people, particularly smallholder farmers, are included and empowered”, said the Spanish Álvaro Lario, president of IFAD.
“Ukraine, a founding member of the United Nations, is known as one of the guarantors of world food security and a major agricultural producer with much to contribute as a member of IFAD”affirmed, for his part, Yaroslav Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Italy.
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“Despite the war, Ukraine remains committed to contributing to global food security to defuse the food crisis and save millions of people from starvation.”, he added.
Since the start of the Russian invasion nearly a year ago, the agricultural sector of Ukraine, one of the world’s top producers and exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, is estimated to have suffered an estimated $2.2 billion in damage, it added. the UN body.
The ripple effect of the war has shaken global food systems and supply chains, with food prices reaching an all-time high in March 2022 and remaining markedly higher than in previous years, they added.
“Although most of Ukraine’s exports come from large agricultural producers, four million small farmers play a vital role in feeding the country, especially now during the war. They produce up to 80% of dairy products, fruits and vegetables, which guarantees the country’s food security”, IFAD explained in a note.
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The agency provides “that small farmers in the western provinces of Ukraine, where there has been a significant increase in population due to the war, will need support to meet the increased demand for food.”
Ukraine will be fully integrated into the next IFAD financing cycle, starting in 2025.
Ukraine’s membership in IFAD complements its memberships in the other Rome-based UN food agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP).
Source: EFE
Source: Gestion
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