Poland offers USD 20 mln to support Ukraine's grain exports

Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has said Poland will offer USD 20 million to Ukraine to help the country export its grain to Africa.

"We want to support grain exports from Ukraine to Africa and the Middle East," Morawiecki said at the 'Grain from Ukraine - bravery feeds planet' conference held in Kyiv on Saturday.

"Mr President, we declare USD 20 million to this purpose," the Polish prime minister said, addressing Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

In his address, Morawiecki accused Russia of instigating a global food crisis.

"Today Russia wants to do this with Africa and the Middle East," he said. "To starve the world and take control over it."

Saturday marked the 90th anniversary of the great famine in Ukraine, known as the Holodomor Memorial Day. It commemorates the 1932-33 hunger period that was instigated by Soviet authorities and killed millions of Ukrainians.

The food crisis took place during peacetime in one of Europe's most fertile countries, while the Soviet Union exported huge amounts of cereal crops. In Ukraine, the confiscation of cereals by the state was followed by the decision to take away all foodstuffs produced in the country.

According to various estimates, between 4 and 8 million people lost their lives during the hunger years. During the worst period, in 1932-33, up to 25,000 people were dying on a daily basis.