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Devastating food crisis blamed on War in Ukraine

Thursday, 25 August 2022 3:42 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 25 August 2022 3:42 PM ]

Grain Supplies at risk. (Getty Images)

It is widely believed that the war in Ukraine is causing a global food crisis. But how could this be true?

Ukraine is one of the world's greatest exporters of wheat and corn by volume; however, most of its produce cannot leave the country due the current war with Russia, which is causing serious problems in places where they depend most on this supply such as the Middle East and Africa.

There are many ripple effects from the war, but it's hard to overstate just how big the impact of the grain crisis is.

Along with the shortages, you've also got the rising prices of fertilizers and fuel as well as national disasters due to climate change, like drought, which has only further worsened the situation on a global scale.

Global food crisis due to Ukraine conflict

While everything seems to be on the line especially economically speaking, the west is continuing its sanctions policy on Russia.

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has warned of a global food crisis due to the West's anti Russia stance, which is creating obstacles to the flow of Russian products, particularly fertilizers, to the world.

Guterres said that the Global Food Crisis, triggered by the Ukraine conflict, looms over the world, and that the sanctions on Russia have exacerbated the already tenuous global economy.

They are trying to use all kinds of arguments, some are real based on some things, some are absolutely spurious and based on nothing, to somehow get the public opinion against Russia, and that concerns this story of grain.

Russia and numerous other countries produce much more grain than Ukraine. So the very idea that Africa will somehow starve, not because of misguided Western policies, not because of the prices which, you know, West commands, but because five boats of grain which cannot leave Odesa! It’s a joke!

There were tons of possibilities for even their grain to go, and there is an endless amount of possibilities to get grain from Russia, from France, and so on. So that was all mobilized by Ukraine to somehow join the opinions that gives like all the Russia fault [sic], you know, children are dying in Africa, Russian fault, isn't it?

And unfortunately, Antonio Guterres, rather than approaching the whole thing objectively coming to the territory, exploring, asking questions, and saying: "What can we do?”, he more or less channels the information which is given to him by Ukraine.

Professor Vladimir Golstein, Slavic Studies, Brown University

Guterres warns of global food crisis amid West's anti-Russia stance

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warns of a global food crisis as the West

But despite this, only a few nations seem to be pushing for diplomatic efforts in an attempt to restore the global supply chains while other countries, mainly the US and its allies, continue their anti Russia stance, pushing ahead with their destructive foreign policy.

The impact of the West's war on Russia with sanctions can be felt globally, global supply chains have been disrupted, fear of food shortages is rising, and innumerable country's economies have consequently taken a hit.

But despite the heavy costs incurred by the masses worldwide, the US and many European nations seem to have set their collective minds on pushing ahead with the policy of sanctions rather than opting for diplomacy.

Russia is a major exporter of potash, ammonia, urea and other soil nutrients and the supply of all these fertilizers, which are necessities for the efficient production of corn, soy, rice and wheat, has been heavily disrupted as a result of Western sanctions on Russia.

Global food crisis expected to ease as Russia, Ukraine ink grain deal

Russia and Ukraine sign a deal on the resumption of grain export, raising hopes for resolving the looming food crisis.

A clear example of this would be Brazilian farmers who have been forced to use less fertilizer as a consequence of the shortages created in their country.

In some African countries farmers are reverting to using unprocessed manure to nourish their crops, while In North America, some farmers have stockpiled a variety of fertilizers for the 2023 season in anticipation of higher prices.

Fertilizer bills are expected to jump 12% this year according to data released by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the US Department of Agriculture, USDA.

No I think the whole war definitely, you know, war in general should be avoided, but this one is just very cynical calculation. Somehow the leadership of NATO, leadership in Washington, decided that it's a win-win situation.

A) We get opinion against Russia. B) We will get sanctions against Russia, which will benefit us, our gas companies, our oil companies, our military companies, and C) if they have a chance to weaken Russia, which is like our aim, to weaken Russian militarily.

So they are pumping Ukraine with military forces, they're trying to push them to the battlefield.

In the battlefield Russians are killed, Ukrainians are killed in great numbers, while the leadership, the Ukrainian leadership buys fancy cars for themselves and send, and they don't send their children to the front, they send some poor people to the front.

So this is just exercising the bloodshed out of which many people hope to get some economic benefit.

Professor Vladimir Golstein, Slavic Studies, Brown University

Ukraine war detrimental to Global food security

Food products produced with Ukrainian crops, such as corn and wheat, can be found worldwide. However, Ukraine

But while the standard of living in many countries has already deteriorated drastically, in light of the preposterous decisions made by policymakers, their problems may further worsen in the not so distant future.

Instead of following diplomacy in an attempt to solve the ongoing crisis, as Turkey has done, the West continues to follow its warmongering aspirations by applying severely restrictive sanctions on Russia.