The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “FAO,” expected a rise in food prices from 8 to 20 percent due to the events in Ukraine.
According to a statement issued by the organization and published by “Reuters”, global food prices have risen by between 8 percent and 20 percent in the wake of what is happening in Ukraine, which, according to the International Organization, increases malnutrition on a global scale.
“Potential disruptions to the agricultural activities of these two major commodity sources (Russia and Ukraine) could seriously exacerbate food insecurity globally,” said Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General, according to the statement.
The food price index issued by the United Nations agency, which reflects the evolution of the prices of the main foodstuffs traded in the world, reached a record level last February. Its escalation is likely to continue in the coming months, when the repercussions of the conflict spread across the world, warns the FAO.
The FAO has highlighted the uncertainty surrounding crops in Ukraine as well as Russian agricultural exports, not to mention that Russia is also a major exporter of agricultural products, including fertilizers.
The statement specified in detail that between 20 percent and 30 percent of the winter grain, corn and sunflower fields in Ukraine will not be planted or harvested during the 2022-2023 season, while Russian exports are expected to be disrupted due to international sanctions.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 50 countries, many of which are among the world’s poorest, depend on Russia and Ukraine for at most 30 percent of their wheat supplies, and will therefore be particularly vulnerable to the crisis.
The Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that “an additional eight to thirteen million people may suffer from undernourishment worldwide in 2022/2023,” noting that the development of malnutrition will be particularly noticeable in the regions of Asia, the Pacific and Africa.
It is noteworthy that Russia is the largest exporter of wheat in the world and Ukraine is the fifth. Together, the two countries provide more than a third of world grain exports, 19 percent for barley, 14 percent for wheat and 04 percent for corn.
