Global Food Crisis Looms as Ukraine War Threatens Grain Supply, Macron Warns

If Russia does not allow sowing in Ukraine, the war will cause an "inevitable famine" in 12 to 18 months, with in particular risks of grain shortages in Egypt and North Africa, said the French president at a press conference following a G7 and NATO summit dedicated to the war in Ukraine, stressing the dependence of some countries in the Middle East and Africa on cereals produced in Russia and Ukraine. Egypt "depends on it by 80%", he said.

Building on this observation, "as President of the Council of the EU and in connection with the African Union", Emmanuel Macron has proposed a "food security initiative" with first an "emergency plan to release stocks in the event of a crisis to avoid any shortage situation and moderate price increases", reports L’obs. There will also be a question of "obtaining a multilateral commitment not to impose export restrictions on agricultural raw materials", which will prevent blockages like those that had hit vaccine exports during the Covid-19 health crisis.

His wish is that "as early as this summer a coordinated action by producing countries to temporarily raise production thresholds" be effective "where possible". Also, he wished to set up a "mechanism for allocating volumes to guarantee access for all, especially the most vulnerable, in sufficient quantity and at reasonable prices". The French president also proposed to help production in the most affected countries, "by significantly increasing investments in sustainable food production and agricultural value chains".