Ukraine War Threatens Food Supplies in Many Nations
2022-03-08
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1International experts are warning that continued fighting in Ukraine is likely to cause major food shortages for large populations in Europe, Africa and Asia.
2Russia continues to push its military campaign across Ukraine after invading the country on February 24.
3Ukraine has been called the "breadbasket of the world" because it is the world's fifth-largest wheat exporter.
4But Ukraine's farming system has been disrupted as millions of people fight, flee or struggle to stay alive.
5Ports have been closed, preventing wheat and other important products from being exported worldwide.
6Wheat is widely used internationally to make into bread, noodles and animal feed.
7There are also worries that Russia could have its grain exports reduced by economic restrictions placed on Russia's government by the West.
8Russia is another major food provider.
9While there have not yet been worldwide disruptions to wheat supplies, prices have risen 55 percent since a week before the invasion.
10Arnaud Petit directs the International Grains Council.
11He told The Associated Press that if the war continues for an extended period, nations that depend on wheat exports from Ukraine could face shortages starting in July.
12Such shortages could create food insecurity and push more people into poverty in places like Egypt and Lebanon.
13Many people in those countries depend on government-supported bread programs.
14Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer.
15Ahmed Salah, a 47-year-old father of seven in Cairo, told the AP that shortages always bring higher food prices.
16That, he said, could have "catastrophic" effects on the majority of Egyptians.
17Anna Nagurney is an expert on supply chains and economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
18She told the AP that wheat, corn, oils, barley and flour are extremely important to food security, especially in poorer parts of the world.
19With Ukrainian men being called on to fight, Nagurney asked,
20"Who's going to be doing the harvesting? Who'd be doing the transportation?"
21Syria, which is still involved in conflict, recently announced it would cut spending and take steps to ration some foods.
22In nearby Lebanon, officials are seeking to make up for a predicted wheat shortage, since Ukraine provides 60 percent of its supply.
23Wandile Sihlobo is chief economist for the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa.
24He said African countries imported agricultural products worth $4 billion from Russia in 2020.
25He said about 90 percent of those imports were wheat.
26In Nigeria, flour producers believe a shortage of wheat supplies from Russia would affect the price of bread, a common food in Africa's most populous country.
27"All of us need to look elsewhere" in the future, said Tope Ogun.
28He is with Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, one of Nigeria's biggest flour processing companies.
29"We might not get what we need to, and there is likely going to be an increase in the price," Ogun added.
30The disruption can be felt as far away as Indonesia, where wheat is used to make noodles, bread, fried foods and snacks.
31Ukraine was Indonesia's second-largest wheat supplier last year, providing 26 percent of all wheat used in the country.
32Rising prices for noodles would hurt lower-income people, said Kasan Muhri, who heads the trade ministry's research efforts.
33Ukraine supplies the EU with about 60 percent of its corn and nearly half of an important ingredient in the grains needed to feed cows and other animals.
34Russia is similarly a major supplier of fertilizer, wheat and other grains.
35In Spain, the price of grain for animal feed rose 10 percent on the open market in the first two days of Russia's invasion.
36Officials there expect prices to rise further for both sunflower oil and grains if the fighting in Ukraine continues.
37The country is already feeling a grain shortage, even as it depends on imported grains to feed about 55 million pigs.
38I'm Bryan Lynn.
1International experts are warning that continued fighting in Ukraine is likely to cause major food shortages for large populations in Europe, Africa and Asia. 2Russia continues to push its military campaign across Ukraine after invading the country on February 24. 3Ukraine has been called the "breadbasket of the world" because it is the world's fifth-largest wheat exporter. But Ukraine's farming system has been disrupted as millions of people fight, flee or struggle to stay alive. Ports have been closed, preventing wheat and other important products from being exported worldwide. Wheat is widely used internationally to make into bread, noodles and animal feed. 4There are also worries that Russia could have its grain exports reduced by economic restrictions placed on Russia's government by the West. Russia is another major food provider. 5While there have not yet been worldwide disruptions to wheat supplies, prices have risen 55 percent since a week before the invasion. 6Arnaud Petit directs the International Grains Council. He told The Associated Press that if the war continues for an extended period, nations that depend on wheat exports from Ukraine could face shortages starting in July. 7Such shortages could create food insecurity and push more people into poverty in places like Egypt and Lebanon. Many people in those countries depend on government-supported bread programs. 8Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer. Ahmed Salah, a 47-year-old father of seven in Cairo, told the AP that shortages always bring higher food prices. That, he said, could have "catastrophic" effects on the majority of Egyptians. 9Anna Nagurney is an expert on supply chains and economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She told the AP that wheat, corn, oils, barley and flour are extremely important to food security, especially in poorer parts of the world. With Ukrainian men being called on to fight, Nagurney asked, "Who's going to be doing the harvesting? Who'd be doing the transportation?" 10Syria, which is still involved in conflict, recently announced it would cut spending and take steps to ration some foods. In nearby Lebanon, officials are seeking to make up for a predicted wheat shortage, since Ukraine provides 60 percent of its supply. 11Wandile Sihlobo is chief economist for the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa. He said African countries imported agricultural products worth $4 billion from Russia in 2020. He said about 90 percent of those imports were wheat. 12In Nigeria, flour producers believe a shortage of wheat supplies from Russia would affect the price of bread, a common food in Africa's most populous country. 13"All of us need to look elsewhere" in the future, said Tope Ogun. He is with Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, one of Nigeria's biggest flour processing companies. "We might not get what we need to, and there is likely going to be an increase in the price," Ogun added. 14The disruption can be felt as far away as Indonesia, where wheat is used to make noodles, bread, fried foods and snacks. Ukraine was Indonesia's second-largest wheat supplier last year, providing 26 percent of all wheat used in the country. Rising prices for noodles would hurt lower-income people, said Kasan Muhri, who heads the trade ministry's research efforts. 15Ukraine supplies the EU with about 60 percent of its corn and nearly half of an important ingredient in the grains needed to feed cows and other animals. Russia is similarly a major supplier of fertilizer, wheat and other grains. 16In Spain, the price of grain for animal feed rose 10 percent on the open market in the first two days of Russia's invasion. Officials there expect prices to rise further for both sunflower oil and grains if the fighting in Ukraine continues. The country is already feeling a grain shortage, even as it depends on imported grains to feed about 55 million pigs. 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 19We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 20________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22disrupt - v. to interfere with something and stop it from continuing as it should 23noodle - n. a thin often flat strip of fresh or dried dough (as of flour and egg) that is usually boiled 24supply chain - n. a system of organizations or operations that work together to design, produce and deliver a product to the market 25ration - v. to give people only a small amount of something because there is little of it available 26snack - n. a small amount of food that is usually eaten between meals 27ingredient - n. one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc. 28fertilizer - n. a natural or chemical substance you put on land in order to make plants grow well