London, United Kingdom (CU)_ UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated that he was seeking negotiations to reintroduce Ukraine and Russian agriculture and fertilizer production to global markets, in order to assist the poor countries in resolving a three-dimensional problem caused by the Ukraine invasion.
Russia’s attack and conquering of Ukraine and economic sanctions on Moscow have hampered the wheat, fertilizers and other food products supply from both countries and also increased the cost of petrol, diesel and gas, resulting in inflation, particularly affecting the developing countries. Russia and Ukraine are the world’s largest exporters of wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower oil, while Russia is the world’s largest provider of critical fertilizers and natural gas.
During a meeting with the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the capital Abuja, Guterres spoke about the current global food crisis. He said, “There is really no true solution to the problem of global food security without bringing back the agriculture production of Ukraine and the food and fertilizer production of Russia and Belarus into the world market despite the war”. He added, “I am determined to see everything to facilitate dialogue that can help achieve these objectives.” According to him, “The impact had set in motion a three-dimensional crisis that is devastating global food energy and financial systems for developing countries”.
According to the International Monetary Fund, the Ukraine war already had a substantial impact on the Middle East and North Africa, and severely affected the low-income nations. Additionally, the IMF cautioned that rising food and energy costs exacerbated by the Ukraine crisis might result in social instability in Africa. According to the IMF, numerous nations south of the Sahara are already experiencing a downtrend in economic development following the pandemic outbreak last year, and the effect will be exacerbated by rising cereals and gasoline prices.
According to the last month report issued by the UN agency, food prices tracked by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) increased 12.6 percent during February and March, hitting their highest point since the index’s inception in 1990. Prior to this year, the previous record high was reached in 2011. Africa is heavily reliant on imports for 85 percent of its wheat consumption, with Tanzania, the Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Mozambique experiencing the greatest reliance.
