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U.S. agencies direct $670 million to international food aid in wake of the Russia-Ukraine war

27 April 2022 22:33 (UTC +04:00)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will together contribute nearly $700 million to international food aid efforts in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, the agencies said on Wednesday, APA reports quoting Reuters.

The money will go to emergency food operations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen. $282 million will come from the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust (BEHT), which is co-managed by the agencies.

USDA will additionally provide $388 million for transportation, shipping, and other costs, the agency said.

"Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine, a fellow major agricultural export country, is driving food and energy costs higher for people around the world," said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in a statement.

Members of the Senate Hunger Caucus in March called on USDA and USAID to draw upon funds from the BEHT, not done since 2014, as the United Nations' World Food Programme predicted dire global famine resulting from interruptions to Ukraine and Russian exports.

Together, Russia and Ukraine account for about a quarter of world wheat exports.

The war was leading to a "staggering global food crisis," said USAID Administrator Samantha Power.