A Russian official has reportedly openly referred to food exports as a weapon. In fact, confirming the status of the Russian Federation as an aggressor country not only in the military and energy, but also in the food dimension.
“The statement is another evidence of the destructive actions of the Russian Federation, which, in particular, violate the basic principles of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – guaranteeing food security and overcoming hunger,” the message says.
It is also noted that the statement of the ex-president of the Russian Federation is a deliberate manipulation, because:
- in 2020, the Russian Federation imported only from the EU, the USA and Canada food and agricultural products in the amount of at least 6.82 billion US dollars (and not “nothing”, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation);
- in terms of grain production, Russia is surpassed not only by China and India, as Medvedev claims, but also by the US, the EU and Brazil;
- if Russia redirects its commodity flows from one country to another, this will not affect the global grain balance and market saturation.
World food prices are affected by Russia’s blocking shipments from Ukrainian ports, mining shipping routes, blocking sowing operations in Ukraine due to hostilities, and the deliberate destruction of Ukrainian agricultural equipment and infrastructure.
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