The wheat crisis caused by the war in Ukraine
Ukraine and Russia account for a third of world exports of wheat and barley. Since the invasion of Moscow on February 24, Ukraine’s ports have been closed and civilian infrastructure and granaries destroyed. It is estimated that the price of grain has increased by about 40% since the beginning of the year.
Indian government decision
Following the decisions already taken by other countries, India also came in response to “increased global wheat prices which have endangered the food security of India and neighboring and vulnerable countries”. The country consumes most of the wheat it produces, but has set a target of exporting 10 million tons of wheat in 2022-2023. Much of this will go to other developing countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. So the idea of the Indian government is to prevent the movement of wheat “infrequently to countries where it could simply be hoarded or the nutritional needs of vulnerable countries could not be met,” says a note from the Ministry of Agriculture.
German Foreign Minister: “Russia launched the wheat war” –
According to German Foreign Minister Annalina Barbock, “Russia deliberately started a grain war, delivery is not possible and prices are rising, with the threat of famine, it is not collateral damage, it is an intentional strategy. Russia is going even. Create the basis for new crises so that cooperation can be reduced international”.
The proposal: “Transport Ukrainian wheat by train to the Baltic ports” –
Then Minister Birbuk explained that in order to try to circumvent the Russian blockade on the export of Ukrainian wheat by ship, the possibility of transporting it by train to the Baltic ports is being studied. “Problems with different rail supply have excluded large-scale transportation through Romania. So, it is now being considered whether it is possible to take the train to the Baltic ports for export. With rail transport, you obviously get much less grain for export. , but every ton delivered could help control the food crisis. Until now, some were transported by train, mostly via Romania, but it made a pack of bottles, because Ukraine and Romania have different rail exchanges.”
Coldiretti: rice price + 21% –
Coldiretti also raised the alarm, also reporting a serious issue with the price of rice: “It flies internationally as it registered a 21% rise last year due to the collapse in grain shipments due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, after India, which has also blocked wheat exports, The global consumption of rice in 2022 will reach the record set in the past ten years in 2022 by about 521 million tons, an increase of more than 9 million compared to the previous year.”
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