The European Union (EU) agriculture ministers on Monday discuss measures to address the consequences of the war in Ukraine on the agri-food sector and the “fears” that it could trigger a “global food crisis”.
“One of the strongest fears is that this tragedy on Ukrainian soil will be added to a global food crisis in countries that do not have the capacity to cope with the consequences of the war in Ukraine in terms of access to wheat, fertilizers or animal feed,” the French Minister of Agriculture and Food, Julien Denormandie.
This meeting of ministers of agriculture of the Twenty-Seven is expected to be joined by videoconference by Ukrainian counterpart Roman Leshchenko, to whom the members of the community club plan to convey the EU's “solidarity” with the country.
Community ministers will also analyse the consequences of this war “on world markets and the responses that Europe must adopt to accompany all countries,” said the head of France, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council this semester.
Prior to the Russian military invasion, Ukraine was a major exporter of cereals and oilseeds, such as wheat, corn or sunflower, but the war has paralyzed sales of Ukrainian agricultural products, which in the community club were particularly relevant for livestock feeding.
While the war is not going to jeopardize the food security of the European Union, it could have repercussions on supply in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East or Africa.
The European Commission is expected to present on Monday some of the measures to support the EU primary sector that it has been preparing, in particular aid for the private storage of pork, the use of the crisis reserve or the possibility of growing crops on fallow land, the French minister stated.
Denormandie also alluded to the possibility of adopting a framework agreement that makes possible aid directly at national level by the different EU governments.
The Community Executive plans to publish next Wednesday a communication on food security that will include measures in the short, medium and long term.
The war has joined the problems that the agricultural sector was already causing due to the rise in energy or feed prices, the crisis in the pork sector and, in the case of Spain, the drought.
THE HRW WARNING
The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Monday that the war could exacerbate the food crisis facing the Middle East and North Africa, and called on Western countries to guarantee “the right to affordable and adequate food for all.”
“Global food chains demand global solidarity in times of crisis,” explained Human Rights Watch's Executive Director for Middle East and North Africa, Lama Fakih. “Without concerted action to address food supply and affordability, the conflict in Ukraine risks deepening the global food crisis, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa,” Fakih said.
The organization has called in a statement to Western governments to do “everything in their power”, such as “providing adequate subsidies or intervening to control prices, or providing adequate social protection.”
As HRW explained, the Black Sea area affected by the crisis in Ukraine exports at least 12% of the food calories traded in the world. In addition, the organization has highlighted Ukraine's role in global food, having one-third of the most fertile soil in the world, according to the UN.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has pointed out that essential food prices are already rising globally due to disruptions in the food supply chain caused by the pandemic and war in Ukraine. A rise in prices to which many countries in the Middle East and North Africa “are most vulnerable”, as HRW puts it.
“A global food crisis can only be addressed through international cooperation. Food-exporting countries must address their domestic needs, but they must also work with import-dependent countries to establish alternative supply chains as soon as possible,” the NGO suggested.
It has also called on governments to “carefully” balance export restrictions to protect the right to food at the national level while minimizing the impact on other countries.
(with information from EFE)
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