Russia ships 200,000 tons of free grain to 6 African countries. President Putin had promised to deliver grains free of charge to the six countries during a summit with African leaders in July.
Moscow attributes the collapse of the Black Sea grain agreement last year - which allowed grain exports from Ukrainian ports - to the lack of progress in removing obstacles to its exports. Russia expects to export about 70 million tons of grain in the agricultural year 2023-2024, adding that in the previous season it exported 66 million tons worth approximately 16.5 billion dollars.