Russia may start delivering grain to African countries for free in the next month and a half, Agricultural Minister Dmitry Patrushev said on Friday.
"We are now finalizing all the documents, I think within a month or a month and a half the ships will go there," Patrushev said.
On September 4, the situation around the Black Sea Grain Initiative was discussed by Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the meeting in the Russian resort city Sochi.
During the meeting, Putin noted that in a few weeks, Russia would start supplying grain to six African countries on a free-of-charge basis.
Following the talks, Erdogan asked the Russian leader to increase the volume of grain supplies to African countries. The Turkish president also noted that technical discussions on the delivery of one million tonnes of Russian grain to Africa will be completed in the near future.
On Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture reported that grain production in 2023 is projected to reach 135 million tonnes. The previous forecast was 130 million.