Ukrainian ship arrives in Kenya with 51,400 tons of wheat

Kenya has received the first consignment of wheat from Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February this year.

The vessel, dubbed ‘Super Henry’, docked at the Mombasa port and is currently discharging 51,400 tons of wheat with two more carriers expected in the next two weeks.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Kenya Andrii Pravednyk said despite its agricultural sector being adversely affected by the ongoing war, they are willing to support Kenya become food secure.

Two more carriers are expected to arrive in the next two weeks with another 78,000 tons of the grain. The consignment is expected to ease the shortage of food in the country.

The Ukrainian Ambassador said the latest attacks by Russia in Ukraine have adversely affected it's agricultural sector.

“We are confident that arrival of “Super Henry” to the Port of Mombasa with 51,400 tons of Ukrainian wheat on board will bring significant relief to Kenyan consumers, helping to mitigate the prices and remove the deficit,” said Ambassador Pravednyk.

The Ambassador said missile strikes and shelling by Russian troops have damaged and destroyed dozens of farms, stocks of food and seed, silos, warehouses, oil depots, agriculture machinery and equipment.

At least 90 agribusinesses have been damaged in Ukraine.

“They have seized up to 1 million tons of grain crops and sunflower oil at the estimated cost of USD 600 million. About 13 per cent of Ukrainian territory has been contaminated by Russian mines and explosive remnants of war,” said Ambassador Pravednyk.

Despite the setback that has affected an estimated 25 per cent of the world cereal trade, causing an increase in world prices, food inflation, and reduced access to food in the countries that import food from Ukraine, in particular wheat and sunflower oil, Ukraine's Ambassador to Kenya is optimistic that they can assist Kenya become food secure and already negotiations have began on how Ukrainian investors can tap into the existing opportunities in the agricultural sector.

“Already two investors have come on board and we were with the president two days ago. The goal is to also assist Kenyan wheat farmers get the best seeds because that is a huge factor to increase productivity,” said the Ambassador.

In 2021, Kenya imported 2.4 million tons of wheat, 15 per cent of the share coming from Ukraine; amounting to USD 89 million (approx. Ksh.1o billion).

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