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The war in Ukraine contributes to a sharp increase in severe food insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the UN

2022-05-24T16:53:47.379Z


The war in Ukraine will have serious food consequences for Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the UN.


Images would show Russian ships stealing Ukrainian grain 0:41

(CNN) --

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is contributing to a sharp rise in the number of people suffering from severe food insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned in a statement on Tuesday. , increasing pressure on a region already suffering from the consequences of covid-19 and the effects of climate change.

Between December 2021 and March 2022, the WFP states that, according to the latest studies carried out by the organization, the number of people suffering from severe food insecurity "skyrocketed" by more than 500,000.

The WFP added that 9.3 million people are affected by food insecurity in the countries of the region where it is present.

Russia began its Ukraine war on February 24, 2022.

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"Millions of people could be pushed into poverty and hunger if the conflict in Ukraine continues. The region is already dealing with COVID-19, rising costs and weather extremes," said Lola Castro, WFP Regional Director. for Latin America and the Caribbean.

"We could return to the spikes in food insecurity seen during the height of the pandemic, as job and income losses, food inflation and other drivers hit the most vulnerable people."

The WFP says that the war in Ukraine has caused a rise in the prices of basic products and energy, which is causing an increase in food inflation that threatens the region, since several countries depend heavily on grain imports.

It adds that Caribbean nations that import substantial amounts of food will be particularly hard hit because of "high" ocean freight costs.

Before the war, wheat supplies from Russia and Ukraine accounted for almost 30% of world trade, and Ukraine is the world's fourth-largest exporter of corn and fifth-largest of wheat, according to the US State Department.

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The United Nations World Food Program — which helps fight global food insecurity — buys about half of its wheat from Ukraine each year and has warned of dire consequences if Ukrainian ports are not opened.

Since the war began, Russia has blocked Ukraine from exporting goods from its ports, fueling fears of a global food crisis.

How does Russia block Ukrainian grain to win the war?

2:38

"Russia has blocked almost all ports and all, so to speak, maritime opportunities to export food: our grain, barley, sunflower and more," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.

The US and Ukraine have also accused Russia of stealing Ukrainian grain supplies, which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says is "fake news," according to the Russian state news agency TASS and other news agencies.

The WFP also said it urgently needs US$315 million to cover operating costs throughout Latin America and the Caribbean for the next six months, as rising food and oil prices are taking its toll on its operating costs.

"In this year of unprecedented need, our humanitarian aid money is stretched to the limit. As the number of hungry people continues to rise, the gap between our funding needs and available resources continues to grow," Castro said.

CNN's Alex Marquardt and Tim Lister contributed to this report.

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Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2022-05-24

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