By Sardar Khan Niazi
Despite achieving excellence in Science and Technology, conquering space through intelligence and wisdom, uncovering the hidden secrets of the universe, the principles of politics, and the rules of war, the lust for power and morality of leaders has not changed.
The looming threat of global warming has cautioned the world about water conservation, tree plantation, the use of renewable energy, and preservation of nature, which can have a positive impact on food security in the future, but the civilized nations fail to realize that unnecessary wars, battles, and clashes cannot provide relief to the desperate around the globe.
The Ukraine war has raised fears of a global food crisis, further exacerbating existing food security challenges worldwide. Much depends on the response of the international community, including the EU, to a number of rapidly evolving scenarios.
The war comes at a time when the global food system is already struggling to feed its growing population in a sustainable way, under the pressure caused by climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Russia and Ukraine are key agricultural players, together exporting nearly 12 % of food calories traded globally. They are major providers of basic agro-commodities, including wheat, maize, and sunflower oil, and Russia is the world’s top exporter of fertilizers.
Numerous regions are highly dependent on imports from these two countries for their basic food supply. Russia and Ukraine, combined, supply over 50 % of cereal imports in North Africa and the Middle East, while Eastern African countries import 72 % of their cereals from Russia and 18 % from Ukraine.
It is clear that the war has resulted in a massive, and deteriorating, food security challenge and disrupted livelihoods during the agricultural growing season in Ukraine, and has affected global food security.
Already prior to the war in Ukraine, international food prices had reached an all-time high. This was mostly due to market conditions, but also high prices of energy, fertilizers, and all other agricultural services.
The Russian Federation and Ukraine are prominent players in the global trade of food and agricultural products. In 2021, wheat exports by the Russian Federation and Ukraine accounted for about 30 percent of the global market.
Ukraine’s maize export share over the same period was significant, averaging 15 percent and conferring it the spot of the world’s fourth largest maize exporter. Combined, sunflower oil exports from both countries represented 55 percent of the global supply. The Russian Federation is also a key exporter of fertilizers. In 2020, it ranked as the top exporter of nitrogen fertilizers, the second leading supplier of potassium, and the third largest exporter of phosphorous fertilizer.
Nearly 50 countries depend on the Russian Federation and Ukraine for at least 30 percent of their wheat import needs. Of these, 26 countries depend for 50 percent of their wheat imports from these two countries.
In that context, this war is having multiple implications for global markets and food security, representing a challenge for food security for many countries, especially for low-income food import-dependent countries and vulnerable population groups.
The war in Ukraine is causing disruptions in global food supplies, with grave consequences for many developing countries. Both Ukraine and Russia are significant food exporters and major producers of fertilizer ingredients.
However, the effects of the war vary significantly between different countries. Some countries rely on supplies from Russia and Ukraine. Others are less dependent on food imports but depend on Russian and Ukrainian imports of fertilizers. General global price increases affect many others.
Joint, coordinated actions and policy responses are the need of the time to address the current challenges for the people most in need and to mitigate the impact of food insecurity at the global level.
