🌾🌐 Wheat is the staple food for more than 35% of the world's population.

Supply chain and logistics disruptions to grain and oilseeds production in Ukraine and Russia, as well as restrictions on exports from Russia, will have serious implications for the food security of at least fifty countries that depend on Russian and Ukrainian exports by 30% or more.

Especially for today's discussion on the global food crisis, we repeat the publication of our infographic on dynamics in the world grain market. The full high-res infographic is available here.

#valdai_infographics #wheat #foodcrisis

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⛔️🍽 Food security is indivisible: it is either security for all or no security for anyone.

With the “American +” sanctions against Russia, the whole world has slipped into a severe food crisis. All countries are threatened, including the Western ones.

The United States and its partners’ sanctions are responsible for having broken the supply chains. The closure of the American and European airspace and ports to Russian aircraft and ships is one of the main reasons for the supply chain interruption that has halted the export of grain from Russia and Ukraine. 

Russia is a great power, which plays a crucial role in world food and energy supply chains.  Russia is also the largest exporter of fertilizers in the world, which is vital for food production. Moreover, Russia is the largest exporter of grain in the world, including wheat, shipping 37.3 million tonnes in 2021, while Ukraine is the fifth largest exporter of wheat, shipping 18.1 million tonnes in the same year. It is impossible to isolate or exclude Russia.

It is time for the Global South to have one voice and stand together for the abandonment of the American and European system of domination and superiority, writes Valdai Club expert Nourhan ElSheikh.

#EconomicStatecraft #foodcrisis #sanctions

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🌍🌾 The World Food Programme estimates that 345 million people face acute food insecurity in 82 countries.

At the forefront is the Horn of Africa. The Middle East and North Africa region has also been badly affected, with hunger in the region increasing 25%. Another rise of 10% to 12% will push the problem to unprecedented levels.

In the first month since the signing of the agreement on grain export across the Black Sea between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, 27 ships carrying food have crossed through Ukrainian ports. It's a good step, but not enough. Overcoming the global grain crisis is still a long way off in light of several considerations.

1️⃣ First, the exporting process is relatively slow. In the month since the deal was signed, which has a duration of four months (120 days), less than a million tons out of a total 22 million tons of grain and other essential agricultural products have been exported. The pre-war level was five million tons per month. Moreover, most of what’s been exported, as well as what’s in Ukrainian ports, has been animal feed, not intended for human consumption.

2️⃣ Second, the Ukrainian grain has not gone to Africa, but rather to developed countries, including Britain, Ireland, Turkey, Italy and China. It has not gone to Yemen, Somalia, or any other country facing catastrophic levels of hunger. Only one grain shipment reached Africa, on August 18th. It delivered 23 tonnes of wheat to Ethiopia. How can this limited quantity change the reality of famine in Africa!?

3️⃣ Third, and most importantly, the memorandum of understanding that was signed between the United Nations and Russia has not yet been implemented. It obligates the international organisation to facilitate the unhindered access of Russian grain and fertiliser to world markets. Russia, for its part, has committed to implementing the agreement. So far, the United Nations has not fulfilled the obligations of the Memorandum. Russia is the most important grain exporter. Ukraine accounts for about 5% of world grain exports, while Russia's share is four times greater. Russia ranks first in world exports of grain and fertilizers, and is one of the largest exporters of sunflower oil. 

There is no solution to the global grain crisis without Russia. The Western sanctions are not directed only to Russia but actually to the whole world including themselves, writes Nourhan ElSheikh, Professor of Political Science, Cairo University.

#Norms_and_Values #grain #sanctions #foodcrisis

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🇷🇺🌏 Russia literally is the granary of Asia; and Russia is the powerhouse of the world. 

It might not be an exaggeration to say that more than a billion stomachs in Asia and Africa go hungry without food supplies from Russia and a couple of other countries in the region.

In the last few years, pandemics and geo-political factors have triggered a major food crisis. This crisis, dubbed the worst the world has seen since World War II, is severely impacting low-income countries and communities in Global South.

Some 50 countries depend on Russia for their food supply, particularly for wheat, maize and sunflower oils. Majority of these are poor and import-dependent countries in Asia and Africa.

What applies to food security also applies to energy security. Acute shortages in energy supplies are leading to severe stress on the countries in Global South – in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Climate challenges, pandemics, supply chain disruptions and military conflicts are not the creation of the Global South, yet the countries in Global South – in Asia and Africa - have been the major victims of them, writes Varanasi Ram Madhav, Founding Member of the Governing Council of India Foundation.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/food-and-energy-challenges-in-asia/

📌 This article was prepared for the Valdai Club’s 13th Asian Conference.

#ASIANVALDAI #Asia #Russia #India #foodcrisis #energy

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