Russia and Ukraine are considered to be two of the most important breadbaskets in the world. If grain production collapses in both countries because of the war, serious bottlenecks threaten.
According to Development Minister Svenja Schulze, Russia’s war against Ukraine could have catastrophic consequences for the food supply in Africa and other poorer regions of the world.
“Russia and Ukraine are two of the largest exporters of wheat and thus the breadbasket of the world,” said the SPD politician on Monday at the sidelines of a meeting of EU development ministers in Montpellier, France. “If these exports break away now, food prices will continue to rise, although they are already at record levels due to Corona and the high energy and fertilizer prices.”
According to initial forecasts, this could push 8 to 13 million more people to starvation, mainly in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, she added. That is why her ministry is already working on countermeasures. They want to help immediately, but at the same time ensure that local food systems are more secure in the long term.
wheat and sunflower oil
According to data from the EU, Russia was the world’s largest wheat exporter in 2021, followed by the USA, Canada and Australia. This was followed by Ukraine in fifth place. The two countries are also very relevant as exporters of sunflower oil. In 2021, Ukraine was the number one export country worldwide, followed by Russia in second place. Russia is also a very important fertilizer exporter worldwide.
It is estimated that the feared market turmoil could now increase the number of malnourished people in the Asia-Pacific region by 4.2 to 6.4 million. In Africa, 2.6 to 5.1 million could be affected and up to 960,000 in the Middle East.
According to Schulze, in addition to crisis prevention in this area, intensive work is still being done to help the people in Ukraine affected by the war. “My house, the Development Ministry, reacted flexibly immediately and is reallocating funds amounting to 38.5 million euros that are available for disaster control and specific civilian supplies,” said the SPD politician on Monday. The first emergency aid for the fire brigade in Ukraine has already arrived. This included, among other things, protective clothing as well as respiratory protection and extinguishing equipment worth four million euros.
According to the BMZ, further aid measures are about to be implemented. They are intended primarily to benefit Ukrainian municipalities that look after and accommodate internally displaced persons. Specifically, this involves, for example, the procurement of generators, water tanks or tents. According to the information, the support is made much easier by existing relationships. According to the information, there are more than 70 municipal partnerships between German and Ukrainian cities and municipalities.
Source: Stern
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