Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, hunger has been increasing in almost every corner of the world, with the biggest toll coming in Africa and Asia. Worsening the crisis, Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine means the food inflation that\u2019s been plaguing global consumers is now tipping into a full-blown crisis, potentially outstripping even the pandemic\u2019s blow and pushing millions more into hunger. Ukraine and Russia are major wheat exporters, together accounting for about a third of world exports; almost all of which pass through the Black Sea.
\nThey account for a whopping portion of the world\u2019s agricultural supplies, exporting so much wheat, corn, sunflower oil and other foods; it adds up to more than a tenth of all calories traded globally. Now, shipments from both countries have virtually dried up. The crisis comes as food prices around the world already have been spiking for months. Prices hit a record high in February, and have risen over 24% in a year, the UN food agency said last week.
\nHouseholds across Middle East and North Africa are rushing to stock up on flour, semolina and other staples. The scramble is coming just weeks before the start of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims traditionally break the dawn-to-dusk fast with plentiful family meals. Russia and Ukraine delivered 86% of Egypt\u2019s wheat imports in 2020, according to the UN. Wheat futures have risen more than 50% in Chicago this year, and a UN index of food prices hit a record in February.
\nEgypt, the biggest buyer of wheat, is trying to lessen the blow from unrelenting price increases by boosting stockpiles and blaming greedy traders. The Russian invasion of Ukraine also threatens millions of tiny spring-time sprouts that should emerge from stalks of dormant winter wheat in the coming weeks. If the farmers can\u2019t feed those crops soon, far fewer of the so-called tillers will spout, jeopardising a national wheat harvest on which millions in the developing world depend.
\nFor sure, the global food system is under threat as the war puts one of the world\u2019s major breadbaskets in jeopardy. Grains are the staples that feed the world, with wheat, corn and rice accounting for more than 40% of all calories consumed. Higher shipping costs, energy inflation, extreme weather and labour shortages have made it harder to produce food. Wheat is a key commodity to watch because bread prices have a long history of kickstarting unrest. Going back to the days of the French Revolution, food insecurity has sent people into the streets demanding better conditions.
\nAcross the world, approximately 1.2bn people live in extreme poverty, on less than one dollar per day, according to a 2018 World Health Organisation report. At least 17mn children suffer from severe acute malnutrition around the world, which is the direct cause of death for 2mn children every year. Here\u2019s the disturbing other side of the lingering tragedy. The world loses about $400bn of food before it even gets delivered to stores, according to the UN. Make no mistake, the great global food divide is widening. An estimated 14% of global food production is wasted every year. At the same time, around 45% of all child deaths worldwide are from causes related to under nutrition, says the World Health Organisation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, hunger has been increasing in almost every corner of the world, with the biggest toll coming in Africa and Asia. Worsening the crisis, Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine means the food inflation that\u2019s been plaguing global consumers is now tipping into a full-blown crisis, potentially outstripping even the pandemic\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[5196,494],"class_list":{"0":"post-250656","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorial","7":"tag-food-crisis","8":"tag-global"},"yoast_head":"\n