The world is struggling with the problem of food security
Hundreds of millions of people are on the verge of loss Food Security due to many factors, one of which is because supplies from Russia and Ukraine are affected by the war.
During his visit to Sweden on June 1, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for decisive and swift action to ensure food supplies. According to him, the war caused great devastation in Ukraine, and also fueled a global food crisis. Earlier, he said the number of people living with severe food insecurity had increased from 135 million to 276 million in just two years of the pandemic. Covid-19.
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A truck carrying corn kernels in Chernihiv province, Ukraine on May 24, 2022 Reuters |
Disaster situation
Post-pandemic needs, extreme weather, tight food sources, high energy prices, bottlenecks in the supply chain, tax rates and export restrictions have affected the food market in the past 2 years. However, after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, these factors converged to an unprecedented degree and pushed food inflation high globally. According to Reuters, the food price index of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in March rose to the highest level since this data was compiled in 1990.
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The hostilities have disrupted agricultural exports from Russia and Ukraine, which together account for 24% of global wheat exports, 57% of sunflower oil and 14% of corn between 2016 and 2020, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. UN. In the eight months before the hostilities began, 51 million tons of grain passed through seven Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, but then exports were mostly halted due to damaged railways, seaport closures and blockades. .
Speaking at a summit of the European Union (EU) on May 31, Senegalese President and African Union (AU) President Macky Sall warned that the blockade of Ukrainian seaports risks creating a crisis. “catastrophic situation” of food shortages and rising prices. Mr. Sall said Africa was hit hard by the global food crisis because of its heavy dependence on wheat from Ukraine and Russia.
The AP cited a report by the African Development Bank that said wheat prices had increased by 45% in the continent, making it even more difficult for countries that import large amounts of wheat from Russia and Ukraine. In addition, rising prices of basic foods have sparked protests in countries such as Argentina, Indonesia, Greece or Iran. The Guardian newspaper quoted the Director of the Food Program world (WFP) of the United Nations David Beasley recently warned that nearly 49 million people in 43 countries are on the verge of starvation.
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The war caused barley to no longer board at the port of Mykolaiv, Ukraine as before Reuters |
The exit is still difficult
Tens of millions of tons of grain are pinned in warehouses in Ukraine and at risk of spoilage if not shipped soon. Tens of millions of tons more are about to be harvested and are not expected to have enough storage space, according to The New York Times. One of the options considered is to transport by road or rail to Poland, Romania or Lithuania, but this comes with enormous logistical challenges and takes a long time.
Many places ban the export of food
Faced with the risk of food shortages and rising prices, more and more markets are producing essential commodities that are restricted from export in order to stabilize prices and protect domestic supplies. According to the Research Institute policy International food (USA), more than 20 markets have ordered to restrict food exports since Russia launched the campaign military in Ukraine, of which more than two-thirds target cereals. At the end of April, Indonesia banned the export of most palm oil to protect the domestic cooking oil supply. India banned wheat exports in May and added sugar, while Malaysia suspended chicken exports.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the best solution is for Russia to lift the blockade of Odessa port or for Western countries to send warships to escort ships carrying agricultural products from Ukraine, which is extremely difficult to do with many security risks. The Russian side has stated that it is ready to support grain exports from Ukrainian ports if Kyiv breaks mines in the area and the West withdraws sanctions on Moscow.
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Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Guterres is negotiating an agreement with Russia to export grain from UkraineIn return, Russia and Belarus will sell fertilizer products globally without fear of embargo. Announcing in Sweden on June 1, Mr. Guterres said progress had been made in negotiations, but there was still a long way to go to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, AU President Macky Sall will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi City on June 3 to open up the supply of food grains and fertilizers, according to AFP. On the other hand, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield recently noted that Russian grain and fertilizer are not subject to sanctions and Washington is ready to write letters of assurance to Russian companies to boldly export.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: thanhnien.vn – Read the original article here
