The Group of Seven also called for the “extension, full implementation and expansion” of a grain deal that has been essential to export Ukrainian produce through the Black Sea…reports Asian Lite News
Agriculture ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies on Sunday adopted a statement pledging to promote policies to support the growth of sustainable agricultural productivity in order to strengthen food security, which has been threatened by climate change and the crisis in Ukraine, Jiji Press reported.
At the meeting, the ministers also compiled “Miyazaki Actions,” an action plan that gives outlines of policies to be implemented by each country in efforts to achieve sustainable agriculture and food systems, such as making use of existing domestic agricultural resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating responsible private sector investment. Japanese agriculture minister Tetsuro Nomura, who chaired the meeting, told a joint press conference that the G-7 statement and action plan are “a very significant outcome that would make a difference in food security.”
They will be reflected in discussions at the G-7 summit in the western Japan city of Hiroshima in May.
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The ministers said in the statement that they are “deeply concerned about the devastating impact the crisis in Ukraine is having on food security globally.”
The Group of Seven also called for the “extension, full implementation and expansion” of a grain deal that has been essential to export Ukrainian produce through the Black Sea.
G7 agriculture ministers “recognized the importance” of the deal, following a two-day meeting in Miyazaki, Japan. “We strongly support the extension, full implementation and expansion” of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, they said in a communiqué.
Under the pact, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, some 28 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain have been exported since last July, including to poor countries facing the brunt of the global food crisis.
But Russia is threatening to walk away from the agreement unless its demands are met, portending a return to the full-scale maritime blockade that halted Ukraine’s grain exports in the months after Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February last year. The Kremlin has warned that ship registrations would only continue until May 18.
“We condemn Russia’s attempts to use food as a means of destabilization and as tool of geopolitical coercion and reiterate our commitment to acting in solidarity and supporting those most affected by Russia’s weaponization of food,” the G7 ministers said in the communiqué.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday warned on Telegram that if the G7 moved to ban exports to Russia, Moscow would terminate the grain deal. The G7 countries are reportedly considering a near-total ban on exports to Russia.
The call comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to meet with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in New York in coming days to discuss an extension of the deal beyond May 18.
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