Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the initiative to transport grains across the Black Sea, which his country launched in cooperation with the United Nations, prevented the risk of a global famine crisis by ensuring that 33 million tons of grain products were shipped to global markets thanks to the initiative.
This came in a video message he sent on Monday to the “World Food Day 2023” program, which is held under the slogan “Water is life, and water means food.”
Erdogan explained that Turkey, as a water-stressed country, strives to use its resources in the most efficient way.
He added that the recent wars and conflicts witnessed in the geographical area in which Turkey is located have deepened the food crisis.
He stressed that his country is continuing its efforts to reduce the burden on regions at risk of famine, especially Africa.
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He continued: “We do not see any difference between protecting our waters and protecting our homeland, and for this purpose we, as a government, have implemented many important projects over the past 21 years that will ensure the water and food security of our country.”
He added: “This year, we renewed our strategy and action plan to combat drought, and in addition to agricultural irrigation, we are continuing our efforts to reduce the amount of water used in industry and individual consumption. We call on our citizens and all of humanity to conserve water.”
President Erdogan pointed out that humanity is gradually moving away from the “Zero Hunger by 2030” approach, which is one of the most important goals of the United Nations for sustainable development.
He continued: “According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization, one in every 9 people in the world suffers from hunger. 127 tons of food are produced every second around the world, but 21 tons of it are wasted, and this number is enough to feed 735 million people who are currently suffering from hunger 4 times”.
He pointed out that wasting food causes rapid consumption of water resources.
He added: “I would like to point out that Turkey, which is one of the most generous countries in the world with regard to development aid, will not hesitate to take responsibility for resolving the food and water crisis.”
