Russian-Ukraine Conflict can cause global food crisis

The UN has warned that Russia's invasion of Ukraine might spark a global food catastrophe that could last years. Food insecurity in poorer countries has grown as a result of the war, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. If Ukraine's exports are not recovered to pre-war levels, certain countries may experience long-term famines, he continued. The fighting has cut off supply from Ukraine's ports, which used to export massive volumes of cooking oil and commodities like corn and wheat.

As a result, worldwide supply has been curtailed, driving up the cost of alternatives. According to the United Nations, global food costs are about 30% higher than they were this time last year.

Speaking in New York on Wednesday, Mr Guterres said that the conflict, combined with the effects of climate change and the pandemic, "threatens to tip tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity followed by malnutrition, mass hunger and famine. There is enough food in our world now if we act together. But unless we solve this problem today, we face the spectre of global food shortage in the coming months."

He warned that the only way to end the problem was to reintegrate Ukraine's food production, as well as Russian and Belarussian fertiliser, back into the world market.