Farmer campaign grows war aid

Organisers of an initiative to share grain harvest profits with Ukrainian farmers impacted by their nation’s conflict with Russia have reminded Wimmera farmers of the benefits of their campaign support.

The ongoing Grain4Ukraine campaign, organised by Grain Producers Australia at the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, asked farmers to donate proceeds from their summer harvest to Ukrainian farmers managing business and humanitarian impacts of the conflict.

Grain4Ukraine committee member Andrew Weidemann, of Rupanyup, had implored Wimmera farmers to consider their ‘innate’ connection with their Ukrainian grain-farming counterparts to support the campaign.

GPA chief executive Colin Bettles said the Grain4Ukraine campaign would continue for as long as the European conflict continued.

“The purpose in which we set-up this campaign remains — there is still a war going on in Ukraine. We want to continue to provide support for rural Ukrainian farmers facing devastating consequences of military conflict on their land,” he said.

Wimmera farmers who have made donations have used the National Grower Register card number registered to Grain Producers Australia to donate a portion of their harvest to the money-raising drive, as per the campaign’s request.

Mr Bettles said if every Australian grower could spare one tonne of grain, the proceeds would make an enormous difference to the campaign’s selected charities.

Money goes to the United Nations Crisis Relief’s Ukraine Humanitarian Fund and World Vision Ukraine Appeal as well as The World to Rebuild Rural Ukraine, which will specifically target Ukraine’s rural communities.

Ukraine’s Australian ambas- sador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, met with the campaign sub-committee to thank them for ‘supporting his people’.

He said rebuilding rural communities remained a ‘strategic priority’, and Australian farmers had provided ‘invaluable’ help.

“We sincerely thank Australia’s grain producers for this selfless initiative, getting behind our country’s efforts to recover from the devastation that’s been caused by Russia’s invasion,” he said.

“This support will help with rebuilding ports and other infrastructure connected to our agricultural communities, and basic necessities of our people such as roads, schools, homes and hospitals.

“On behalf of people in the Ukraine, I’d like to thank every grower who is donating some of their crop this harvest.”

People can donate to the campaign by using the GPA’s National Grower Register card number, 1500 4442.