UN Secretary-General António Guterres says he is talking to several countries to overcome the food shortage. The war in Ukraine has significantly aggravated the situation.
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The number at risk of severe food shortages has more than doubled in the last two years, and is now up to 276 million people, according to Guterres. More than 500,000 are starving, a fivefold increase since 2016.
Guterres says he has “intense talks” with Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the United States and the EU to find a solution to the crisis.
– The complex security, economic and financial implications require goodwill from all parties to reach an agreement, he continues.
Closed ports
Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s leading exporters of wheat and barley. Together, they accounted for 28 percent of world wheat exports in 2020, according to figures from United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
As a result of the war, the ports along Ukraine’s Black Sea coast have been closed, and thus food exports to several developing countries have been significantly restricted. Guterres said that during his last visit to the Sahel region in Africa, he met families who had no idea where the next meal would come from.
David Beasley, head of the World Food Program (WFP), has warned that not opening ports would be a “declaration of war on global food security” and lead to famine, destabilization of several countries, and necessitate mass migration.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accuses Russia of using famine as a weapon.
Russia does not wage the brutal war with only tanks, missiles and bombs. Russia is waging war with another terrible but more subtle weapon: famine, she said.
Leading fertilizer manufacturers
In addition, Russia and Belarus are the world’s second largest and third largest producers of potash, or potassium carbonate, used in fertilizers, Guterres pointed out.
“There is no effective solution to the food crisis without reintegrating Ukraine’s food production in addition to the food and fertilizers produced by Russia and Belarus, despite the war,” he said.
The World Bank announced Wednesday night that it is increasing support for projects to solve the global food crisis following the war in Ukraine by $ 12 billion.
The money will fund projects over the next 15 months that work to increase food and fertilizer production, increase trade yields and support vulnerable households and producers.
In the past, the World Bank has provided $ 18.7 billion to similar projects in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia.
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