Ukraine-News: Zelenskyj adviser warns of global famine
Created: 03/11/2022, 10:04 am
The economic adviser to the Ukrainian president, Oleg Ustenko, warns of famine if the war in Ukraine continues.
© Arne Dedert/dpa
Like Russia, Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat.
The war therefore weighed heavily on the grain markets.
The warnings of bottlenecks are increasing.
Berlin - The economic adviser to the Ukrainian President, Oleg Ustenko, warns of famine if the war in Ukraine continues.
“We have a maximum of one week for sowing.
If the war doesn't end by then, the world will have a food problem," the economist told
Wirtschaftswoche
.
Like Russia, Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat.
The Ukraine war is burdening the global grain markets and has already led to significant price increases there.
Ukraine war drives up grain and wheat prices
"If we cannot deliver, then the price on the international markets will rise," said Ustenko, according to the newspaper.
"The world must decide how to feed the people, especially in African countries." Ustenko called for an immediate embargo on Russian oil and gas to deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of funds for his invasion of Ukraine.
Germany and other EU countries have so far rejected this.
The agriculture ministers of the seven leading Western industrial nations (G7) are discussing the effects of the Ukraine war on global food security this Friday.
The Ukrainian Minister Roman Leschenko and international organizations are also to take part in the consultation.
The G7 group includes Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the USA and Great Britain.
Ukraine-News: German farmers' association is concerned
According to the farmers' association, the Ukraine conflict* will make food even more expensive.
"We assume that this war will cause prices to rise even further," said the President of the German Farmers' Association, Joachim Rukwied, to the
Augsburger Allgemeine
.
With fertilizers, for example, there are the first supply bottlenecks, the prices are very high and will probably continue to rise.
The daily newspaper
Die Welt
told Rukwied that the food supply in Germany is currently secure.
However, the danger that the harvest volumes will decrease due to a lack of availability of fertilizer is high.
more on the subject
Famine as a result of war?
Bundesbank sees signs of excessive real estate prices
Economist Hüther warns of hyperinflation in Russia
Before the meeting of the G7 agricultural ministers, Rukwied warned of war-related supply bottlenecks.
A possible failure of Ukrainian grain deliveries will hit other regions harder than Europe.
"The grain supply is secured due to a high level of self-production," said Rukwied.
But there will be bottlenecks in North Africa and Arabia.
The EU must provide help here with increased exports.
Ukraine is a major wheat producer - but the EU can keep up
Ukraine is an important producer of wheat in Europe, but large quantities of wheat are also harvested in individual countries in the EU.
However, production in Ukraine can affect prices worldwide.
France, for example, produced significantly more wheat than Ukraine in 2020, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Germany almost as much as the Eastern European country.
dpa
*Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA