The current food crisis faced by many countries due to the Russian war in Ukraine could become a true “catastrophe” next year. The United Nations urges governments in a second crisis report to prevent this.
“This year’s food crisis is due to lack of market access. Next year it could be due to lack of food,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The report on the Russian war emphasizes that the world is confronted with the largest “cost-of-living crisis” in a generation, with food prices at historically high levels, fertilizer costing nearly double, and extremely high prices for oil and gas.
“Vulnerable people and countries are already being hit hard, but make no mistake: no one, in any country, will be spared from this cost-of-living crisis,” Guterres insisted.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the UN has repeatedly warned that the conflict would worsen an already existing hunger problem due to its effects and the economic situation in many countries.
So far, the difficulties are mainly related to transportation problems for the export of grains and fertilizers from Ukraine and Russia. These are especially crucial for countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Looking ahead to next year, the UN fears that price increases—especially for fertilizers—could lead to insufficient food supply.
If the war continues and high prices persist until the next planting season, the current crisis could expand to other staple foods such as rice and affect billions of people, warns the UN organization UNCTAD.