Paris, May 20 (EIRNS)—This is the title of a May 19 article by Pieter Cleppe, writing in the French magazine Contrepoints. “The damage caused by Russia’s invasion [sic] of Ukraine to global food supply chains appears to be even greater than feared,” writes Cleppe. By some estimates, “Ukraine’s agricultural production for the world market has been cut in half. Global fertilizer shortages, also exacerbated by the war, threaten to reduce harvests. Combined with the drought, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns, ‘Targeted humanitarian action is urgently needed to save lives and livelihoods in the 20 hunger hotspots.’”
In addition, “India has decided to suspend wheat exports indefinitely. This decision is aimed at ‘ensuring national food security,’ although loopholes remain for some countries. This decision is also the result of a heat wave in India that would result in the loss of over 15% of the crop. Whereas just a few weeks ago, countries like India were being counted on to help alleviate the global food shortage.”
Cleppe quotes Javier Blas, a Bloomberg energy and commodities columnist, who says, “My biggest concern is the copycat effect of India’s wheat export ban. Not just for wheat (and corn), but especially for rice. If rice exporters panic (and there is no reason to panic thanks to an expected record crop) and follow suit, it’s game over for global food security.”
