By Emma Farge
GENEVA18 Mar -An official from the World Food Program (LDCs) said on Friday that food supply chains in Ukraine are collapsing, with some infrastructure destroyed and many grocery stores and warehouses now empty.
“The country’s food supply chain is falling apart. The movement of products has slowed down due to insecurity and the reluctance of drivers,” said Jakob Kern, Emergency Coordinator of the LDCs for the Ukraine crisis, at a press conference in Geneva via video link from Poland.
He also expressed concern about the situation in “enclosed cities” such as Mariupol, saying food and water supplies are running low and his convoys have not yet been able to enter the city.
The LDCs it buys almost half of its wheat supplies from Ukraine, and Kern said the crisis generated by the Russian invasion on February 24 has pushed up food prices.
“Now that world food prices are at record highs, the LDCs is also concerned about the impact of the Ukraine crisis on global food security, especially in hunger hotspots,” he said, warning of “collateral famine” elsewhere.
The agency is paying an extra $71 million a month for food this year both because of inflation and the Ukraine crisis, he said, adding that this amount would cover food supplies for 4 million people.
“We are changing suppliers now, but that has an impact on prices,” he said. “The further away you buy it, the more expensive it becomes.”
–
