(OTTAWA) The federal agriculture minister argued Friday that Russian forces were targeting Ukrainian food supplies, including their grain reserves.
Posted at 4:12 p.m.
Marie-Claude Bibeau attended an emergency meeting of G7 agriculture ministers on Friday. According to her, the Ukrainian minister told his counterparts that Russian forces were hitting grain silos, ports and infrastructure needed to store and distribute crops in Ukraine.
In an interview, M.me Bibeau condemned the operations, which she said are another sign that Russian targets are not just military in this war.
The minister said that Canada, a major wheat exporter, is doing its part to provide grain to the United Nations World Food Program, but also to provide direct humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Mme Bibeau also warns Canadian farmers that they could face shortages of fertilizer, which they usually buy from Russia. Canadian consumers, meanwhile, should expect soaring prices for bread and pasta due to the dispute.
Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat and sunflower oil, and many countries, including Lebanon and Bangladesh, depend on their imports of Ukrainian wheat.