Ukraine sends 25 ships carrying 160,000 tonnes of agrifood from Odessa ports - WFP country director

MOSCOW. July 23 (Interfax) - The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and Ukraine have dispatched 25 vessels carrying 160,000 tonnes of agrifood to feed 12 million people under the Grain from Ukraine program since the opening of the Odessa ports, WFP Country Director ad interim in Ukraine Marianne Ward said in an interview with Ukrainian media.

Another vessel is to be sent in July and one more in August, Ward said.

The WFP insures all its shipments and vessels against military risks, she said.

Another 40,000 tonnes of agrifood is to be sent from Ukraine to countries in need in the near future, including a shipment of corn to be dispatched to Malaysia and Mozambique at the end of July, Ward said.

The WFP also plans to continue delivering agricultural produce to the Gaza Strip, where it recently sent 1,000 tonnes of flour from Ukraine, she said.

Another 6,164 tonnes of wheat flour and 765 tonnes of sunflower oil will be shipped there within the next few months, she said.

The WFP buys wheat from Ukrainian suppliers, makes flour out of it, and then directly ships it to verified bakeries it has cooperated with for a long time, which make bread distributed among Gaza Strip residents who have found themselves on the brink of famine because of the conflict, Ward said.