They also condemned Russia's attempts to use food as a weapon.
The G7 urged the extension and full implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) deal under which Ukraine can export over 27 million tonnes of grain through its Black Sea ports.
The deal was signed in Istanbul last July, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.
However, Russia has signaled that it would not endorse the deal beyond May 18 because its expectations to facilitate its own grain and fertiliser exports have not been addressed.
Ukraine, which is one of the world’s largest grain exporters, had its Black Sea ports blocked following the Russian invasion in February last year and it found alternative shipping routes through Poland and Romania.
Poland has admitted nearly 3 million tonnes of grain from Ukraine. Due to logistics bottlenecks, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the EU, remain in central European countries, hurting prices and sales of local farmers.
In a statement issued after a two-day meeting in Miyazaki, Japan, the G7 agriculture ministers condemned Russia's attempts to use food as a “tool of geopolitical coercion and destabilisation.”
They also expressed their commitment to acting in solidarity and supporting those most affected by Russia's “weaponisation of food.”
The G7 members have also pledged to support Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction, including through the provision of expertise in de-mining agricultural land and reconstructing agricultural infrastructure.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to discuss the Ukraine Black Sea grain export deal with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York this week.
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Source: IAR, Reuters