African countries are being hit hard by the growing crisis, which has sent the prices of grains, cooking oils, fuels and fertilizers soaring. Russia and Ukraine account for almost a third of global wheat supply, while Russia is also a major global exporter of fertilizer and Ukraine is a major exporter of corn and sunflower oil.
As food prices soar around the world, the United Nations warns that the war in Ukraine risks exacerbating price inflation and triggering a global food crisis. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Food Price Index, a measure of the prices of the world’s most traded foods, fell for the second consecutive month in May after reaching an all-time high. Record high in March, the United Nations agency said on Friday.
Moscow blames the situation on all the naval mines floating near Ukraine’s ports and on Western sanctions that hit its own grain and fertilizer exports by affecting shipping. Transfers, banking and insurance. Russia has said it is ready to allow food vessels to leave Ukraine in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions, a proposal Ukraine has described as “blackmail”.
During the recent meeting between Russian President Putin and the President of the African Union, the Russian side made a promise to ease out the supply of grain from Ukrainian ports under Russian control.
A mere promise is not enough to ensure a famine free future Africa as long as the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions on Russian products remain.
