27 May 2022, Friday, 17:43 206

22 Million Tons Of Grain Blocked In Ukraine, World Hunger In 2022 Will Affect About 40-50 Million More People

Редактор: Tetiana Herasimova

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that 22 million tons of grain have been blocked in Ukraine at the moment, and according to the United Nations, this year hunger in the world will affect an additional 40-50 million people.

This is stated in the message of the President's Office with reference to the words of the head of state during an online meeting at the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia analytical center, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"Russia blocked access to our ports on the Black Sea and occupied our part of the coast of the Sea of Azov. As a result of this military blockade, most traditional routes of Ukrainian trade were closed. Currently, 22 million tons of grain in Ukraine are in storage. We cannot send them to the world market, where they are needed now," Zelenskyy said.

According to him, this has already affected grain prices, and then will affect the prices of other food, which can rise catastrophically.

Governments in food exporting countries have to cut back on their own agricultural exports to keep domestic prices from exploding and protect their own consumers.

"According to the UN, this year hunger in the world will additionally cover about 40-50 million people," the President said.

The head of state clarified that in July many countries will run out of stocks of last year's harvest, and in the fall a crisis situation may develop on world food markets.

"The faster this war can end, the better it will be for every nation. Not just for us. The faster our ports are unblocked, the faster the deployment of the food crisis will stop, because we will be able to send both our reserves and a new harvest to the world market," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy expressed hopes that at the G20 meeting in the fall it will be possible to find a way to stop the deployment of both the food crisis and the war as a whole.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Latvia will help Ukraine with grain exports through Latvian ports.

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the war in Ukraine threatens a global famine.