INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russia has sent the first of its promised shipments of free grain to Africa, the country's agriculture minister said Friday."The first two
ships have already left Russian ports for Somalia and Burkina Faso
We expect them to arrive in late November to early December," Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said in a statement.State news agencies
reported him telling a forum that the two ships were carrying 25,000 tons of grain each.Russian President Vladimir Putin in July pledged to
send 200,000 tons of free grain to six African countries.The promise came shortly after Moscow withdrew from a UN-brokered deal that ensured
the world's largest producers and exporters of agricultural goods.Russia's offensive on the country triggered fears of global food shortages
and surging prices, particularly grains.Patrushev said further shipments to the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali and Zimbabwe will be
dispatched before the end of the year.Putin has accelerated a diplomatic push into Africa since he launched a full-scale military campaign
on Ukraine in February 2022.Earlier this year he hosted a high-profile summit of African leaders in his hometown of St
Petersburg, including exhibitions by Russian arms producers and the state-run nuclear energy company.
