Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 28 (Xinhua) — Russia and Ukraine are important grain producers and exporters in the world. The two countries’ wheat exports together account for about one-third of global exports, and corn exports together account for about 20%. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Western countries led by the United States have increased sanctions at various levels, and regional changes in the situation and restrictions on exports to Russia have caused anxiety about global food shortages, and food prices in various regions have continued to rise. French President Emmanuel Macron even warned,The Russia-Ukraine conflict will trigger an “unprecedented food crisis” globally.
Please see the reports from Xinhua News Agency reporters from Europe, the Middle East and Africa –
-FAO: Challenges to global food production and supply
According to the information released on the website of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Russia and Ukraine are the world‘s largest and fifth largest wheat exporters respectively, and 19% of the world‘s barley, 14% of wheat and 4% of corn are produced in these two countries. In addition, Russia is a major fertilizer producer in the world. Continued financial sanctions on Russia, resulting in a sharp devaluation of its currency, could erode domestic productivity and ultimately raise the cost of agricultural production even further.
Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, said that the situation in Russia and Ukraine has led to the disruption of food production supply chains and logistics in the two countries, and some countries have imposed export restrictions on Russia, posing a major challenge to global food production and supply.
Qu Dongyu said that about 50 countries and regions in the world are highly dependent on the supply of wheat from Russia and Ukraine, including some least developed or low-income countries in Africa and Asia. Some European and Central Asian countries rely on Russia for more than 50 percent of their fertilizer supplies, and supply shortages could extend into next year.
Farmers sow spring wheat on a farm in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, on April 15, 2021.Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Mo Jingna)
World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will have a huge impact on food prices this year and next, especially for people in poor countries.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said in a new report that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has triggered soaring commodity prices, causing a slowdown in the world economy and bringing new economic shocks to poor countries already hit hard by the new crown epidemic.‘A strong sense of social anxiety has spread’。
French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference on the 24th in Brussels, Belgium, after participating in two NATO and G7 summits, that the Middle East and Africa, which are highly dependent on food imports from Russia and Ukraine, are facing food problems due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. shortage problem. If the conflict continues, it will lead to “inevitable famine” in the next 12 to 18 months.
——Middle East: Many countries have introduced measures to ensure food security
Recently, multiple factors such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, high inflation rate, and the new crown epidemic have caused the prices of wheat, corn, edible oil, etc. to rise significantly in many grain importing countries in the Middle East, which has raised concerns about the food security issues that may arise from this.
Lebanese wheat importer Ahmed Houteit said that 80% of Lebanon’s wheat is imported from Ukraine. “This issue has already had a major impact on Lebanon, where there are currently ships at sea waiting for the central bank to approve the purchase of wheat. If the central bank fails to make timely payments, especially if international wheat prices rise, these ships may be (laden with wheat) )Leave.”
According to statistics, 80% of Egypt’s imported grain comes from Russia and Ukraine. The price of flour in the country rose to 11,000 Egyptian pounds in March from an average of 9,000 Egyptian pounds (1 Egyptian pound about US$0.06) per ton in February. Nearly 40% of Turkey’s sunflower oil depends on imports. The main sources of imports are Russia and Ukraine. The price of sunflower oil in the country has risen by more than 30% recently.
This is a blooming sunflower taken in Odessa Oblast, southern Ukraine, on July 9, 2019.Ukraine is rich in sunflowers and ranks first in the world in terms of production and export of sunflower oil.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Junfeng
The governments of Egypt, Turkey and other countries have introduced a package of measures aimed at helping people cope with rapidly rising food prices. At the same time, many countries are also actively deploying to fundamentally guarantee their own food security.
Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouli said the country is expanding into more wheat importing countries including the United States, Argentina, Canada and Paraguay. The Egyptian government has continued to encourage farmers to increase the arable area and output of grain by providing seed fertilizers, teaching planting techniques, and guaranteeing government purchase prices, with obvious results. Egyptian wheat imports have fallen sharply from 12 million tons in previous years to about 5.5 million tons in 2021.
The UAE will start the “Food Technology Valley” project in 2021, which aims to develop and use modern technologies to increase food production.
——Africa: Conflict could lead to ‘unprecedented food crisis’
In 45 countries in Africa and least developed countries, at least one-third of their wheat supplies are imported from Russia and Ukraine, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. The food supply problem caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is exacerbating the plight of less developed countries and regions.
The African region is already facing the persistent problem of systemic food shortage. In addition to the impact of extreme weather and the new crown epidemic, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has further aggravated the risk of local food security.
Kenya, for example, relies heavily on Russia and Ukraine for wheat and soybeans, respectively. According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the prices of corn flour, wheat flour, edible oil and vegetables such as potatoes, onions and tomatoes have risen by about 20% over the same period last year.
An official looks at relief food in the town of Maralal, Samburu County, Kenya, on March 2, 2017.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pan Siwei
——Europe: Food supply for low-income households in Europe is affected
Higher food prices could also make it difficult for low-income households in Europe to access food supplies, the European Commission said in a statement.
According to Euronews TV, the situation in Russia and Ukraine has caused a sharp rise in the prices of fertilizers, feed and fuel, which has led to a sharp increase in the production costs of European farmers, and European food security is also at risk.
The European Commission decided on the 23rd to temporarily allow farmers to use up to 4 million hectares of fallow land to grow food or pasture to ensure food security under the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The EU will also allocate 500 million euros to help agricultural producers affected by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (Reporters: Zhou Xiaotian, Chen Zhanjie, Tang Ji, Li Rui, Yu Fuqing, Yang Yanren, Ji Ze, Wang Feng, Li Zhenbei, Shang Hao, Liu Chang, Li Cheng, Ren Ke, Hu Ruoyu, Liu Xiuling; editor: Sun Shuo; editor: Cheng Heavy Rain, Sun Hao, Ma Xiao)
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