Israel signs grain agreement with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan to ” ensure food security”

The agreement will guarantee all of Israel’s wheat needs, against the backdrop of the global food crisis amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

On Monday, Israel signed a grain agreement with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan to form a regional alliance, the first of its kind with Islamic countries for the supply of wheat, and in exchange for wheat, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will receive advanced technologies in the field of Agriculture from Israel.

The agreement will reportedly guarantee all of Israel’s wheat needs, against the backdrop of the global food crisis amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. According to reports, the deal is “long-term” and was developed out of Israel’s desire to diversify wheat sources.
Every year, Israel imports more than 90 percent of the wheat it consumes, mainly for use in animal feed. The war in Ukraine, and even earlier the economic impact of covid, made it difficult for the Jewish state to import goods, which caused a sharp increase in prices for goods.

Israeli Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter said: “as part of the vision we lead in the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure food security … Today, we are taking another important step towards ensuring agricultural products, most of which are not produced in Israel,”he said.

“In this period of global uncertainty, many countries are interested in moving forward with us out of common interests . We will continue to create more partnerships between the state of Israel and other countries, thereby ensuring food security for the citizens of Israel,”he said.
According to the UN, about two billion people in the world will suffer from hunger by 2050. This will be due, among other things, to climate change and a decrease in wheat production as long as the Russian attack on Ukraine continues.