The global food supply chain is in danger of destabilizing due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to humanitarian organizations monitoring with concern the Middle East and Asia countries, which rely on agricultural imports from the two countries.
Both Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of agricultural products, but crops in Ukraine are now at risk and sanctions have been imposed in Russia. More than half of the food distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in crisis areas comes from Ukraine.
“There are already 276 million people suffering from acute hunger in 81 countries,” said Martin Frick, director of the WFP Berlin bureau. “People just can’t stand another conflict.”
“The war of (Russian President Vladimir Putin) Putin is not only causing an incalculable tragedy in Ukraine, its effects will be felt beyond its borders,” Frick said.
Egypt, with a population of 100 million, imports most of the wheat it needs from either Russia or Ukraine. The same goes for Tunisia.
People in both countries base much of their diet on bread, as it is subject to government subsidies and is therefore widely available.
Experts in Tunisia are now warning of rising prices due to the war in Ukraine and are looking for other sources of wheat imports, such as Romania and Argentina.
But it is unclear whether these alternative sources will be able to meet demand.
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