USAID chief visits Odesa, announces $250 mln for Ukrainian farmers

U.S. aid chief Samantha Power on Tuesday pledged $250 million in new funding to help Ukrainian farmers reeling from blocked Black Sea grain.

This brings the U.S. government's total investment in the AGRI-Ukraine initiative to $350 million, the press release says. 

What is the problem?

Russia's relentless attacks have caused more than $6.6 billion in direct damage to the agriculture sector. Farmers have endured 19 months of danger to their livelihoods and families, along with destroyed land and equipment. Russia's disruption of maritime commerce since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, including blockading ports, delaying ship inspections, and, most recently, withdrawing from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, has severely choked the amount of grain Ukraine is able to provide to the world amid a global food crisis.

What is the solution?

USAID Administrator Samantha Power announces an additional $250 million in agricultural support during a visit to the Port of Odesa.

How does it work?

Ukraine's agricultural products and grain are critical to the world's food supply, as well as key to the country's economic recovery and future prosperity, the statement said.

With the additional $250 million, USAID will continue to expand critical agricultural infrastructure such as irrigation, grain elevators, trans-shipment facilities, and port and border infrastructure.

USAID will also expand its support to enable small- and medium-sized agricultural businesses to access the financing and agricultural inputs they need to move forward with their 2023 sowing and harvesting plans. Ukraine's agriculture accounts for 20 percent of the gross domestic product, 40 percent of Ukraine's exports, and 17 percent of the workforce.