Wheat crisis looms in world due to Russia-Ukraine conflict: Shashi Tharoor

Wheat crisis looms in the world as the war between Russia and Ukraine intensified further in the fourth week, said Congress Member of Parliament and former United Nations Official Shashi Tharoor citing FAO report that around 30 per cent crops won’t be sown.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Congress MP said that Ukraine and Russia account for nearly 30 per cent of the world’s wheat, 17 per cent of corn and over half of sunflower seed oil exports. These have been drastically reduced by war. FAO estimated that 20-30 per cent of this year’s crop won’t be planted because of war.

The World Food Programme has warned that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is further threatening global food security, with food prices already at an all-time high.

Emergency Coordinator of World Food Programme for Ukraine, Jakob Kern said that the world’s largest and fourth-largest exporters of wheat, Russia and Ukraine respectively together are responsible for 29 per cent of the global wheat trade. Therefore, the two countries are critical to ensuring the food security of many countries around the world.

Global food and fuel prices have increased sharply since the start of the conflict. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, they reached an all-time high in February 2022.

The price of wheat increased by 24 per cent from February 21 to March 15.

These hikes will affect local food prices and, through these, access to food, especially for millions of people who are already struggling to put food on the table.

India is in talks with countries like Egypt, Turkey, China, Bosnia, Sudan, Nigeria, Iran and other countries beyond its Asian and South Asian neighbours, to export wheat. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India is in final talks to start wheat export to Egypt, while discussions are going on with countries like Turkey, China, Bosnia, Sudan, Nigeria, Iran and others to start wheat export.