Report.. Ukraine crisis and climate change pushed food prices to rise globally

London-Sana

The International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems has confirmed that the Ukraine crisis and climate change are the main reasons why food prices around the world have risen to record levels this year.

The team explained in a report published by the British Daily Mail newspaper that the Ukrainian crisis led to a reduction in the main exports of wheat and fertilizers coming from Ukraine and Russia, while severe droughts, floods and high temperatures driven by climate change caused the loss of more crops and food.

The report indicated that wheat prices reached their highest level in 14 years last March, while maize prices reached an all-time high, making basic foodstuffs more expensive or difficult to find for families in a large number of countries.

According to the report, climate change, conflict and widespread poverty are now combining to create widespread risks to global food security, meaning that rising food prices may be the new normal unless action is taken to reduce threats.

The report listed necessary means to address the current situation in world food prices, including reducing toxic emissions to limit climate change, addressing trade speculation on basic commodities, reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers, reshaping trade and supporting national grain reserves.

The report warned that if the international community ignored these matters, the world "is moving towards catastrophic and systematic food crises in the future."

In addition, the Daily Mail indicated that Russia and Ukraine provide about 30% of global wheat exports, but these exports declined due to the Ukrainian crisis, which led to increased competition for the remaining crops on the global market level and higher prices, which constituted great burdens on poor countries and those that depend on wheat. imports significantly.

In this context, two officials from the United Nations Development Program warned that Africa is facing an "unprecedented" crisis due to the Ukraine crisis, especially with the rise in food and fuel prices.

"This is an unprecedented crisis for the continent," said Raymond Gilpin, the program's chief economist, predicting that economic growth in Africa would decline and millions of families would face financial difficulties.

Many African countries depend on Russia and Ukraine for food imports, which are major sources of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower oil.

The World Bank had earlier announced that the crisis in Ukraine had caused a "major shock" to commodity markets, leading to a change in how goods were traded, produced and consumed around the world.

The bank explained that the increases in the prices of food commodities, of which Ukraine and Russia are major producers, as well as fertilizers that depend on natural gas as a component of production, were the largest since 2008.

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