Russia to continue food supplies to Africa – Lavrov
Russia will continue supplying food and fertilizers to African countries, including through humanitarian deliveries coordinated by the UN, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
In an article titled ‘The Impact of Global Economy on International Security’, published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website on Tuesday, Lavrov said Moscow would maintain its food assistance programs alongside regular exports. Russia currently supplies agricultural products and fertilizers to 160 countries and is fulfilling its existing commitments, according to the minister.
“We will continue to meet our partners’ needs, paying particular attention to the African continent, including through the provision of food aid free of charge under the World Food Program,” Lavrov said. He linked the commitment to agreements reached at the third Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum in Moscow held on October 28-29.
The summit brought together delegations from 48 African countries. The talks covered trade, economic development, technology, and security cooperation.
Moscow exported 13 million metric tons of agricultural products to Africa in the first nine months of 2026, President Vladimir Putin said at the summit. More than 40 African countries received Russian grain and fertilizers during that period, according to the president.
In August, Moscow delivered 770 metric tons of yellow split peas to Mali through the UN World Food Program. Russia also sent emergency humanitarian supplies to Madagascar and Mozambique in 2026, while Ethiopia received more than 1,600 metric tons of grain in 2025.
In April 2026, Russia donated 20,000 metric tons of mineral fertilizers to Niger to support the country’s agricultural sector. Russian fertilizer producer Uralchem also reported in October that it had donated around 135,000 metric tons of fertilizers to African countries between 2022 and 2024, covering transportation costs.
The deliveries are part of a broader food assistance program launched after the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in July 2023, when President Vladimir Putin pledged to provide free grain to six African countries. By February 2024, Russia had completed the delivery of 200,000 metric tons of free grain to six African nations. Somalia and the Central African Republic received 50,000 tons each, while Burkina Faso, Mali, Zimbabwe, and Eritrea received 25,000 tons each.
