Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

Ukraine war ‘aggravating’ existing global food crisis, UN warns

Ukraine war ‘aggravating’ existing global food crisis, UN warns

The UN Food and Agriculture Disorganization to blame the sanctions against Russia and blame "the war in Ukraine"...

As the cost of food soars around the world, the United Nations warns that the war in Ukraine risks aggravating inflating prices and causing a full-on global food crisis.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index, a tool to measure prices of the most globally traded food staples, dipped in May for the second consecutive month after reaching a record in March, the UN agency said on Friday.

Despite the decline, the May index showed prices 22.8 percent higher compared with a year earlier, pushed higher by concerns over the Russian invasion of Ukraine – one of the world’s major bread baskets.

Luca Russo, the FAO’s lead analyst for food crises, told Al Jazeera that as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sends energy prices higher, the cost of delivering aid has increased as well. The risk of a severe food crisis is particularly felt in the developing world, he warned.

Al Jazeera spoke with Russo this week about what worries him about the current international response, how millions could face famine while there is a global surplus of food stock, and why 2023 could be a “very, very dangerous year”.

Al Jazeera: Why is there a global food crisis right now?


Luca Russo: First of all, this is not a new crisis. The number of people facing severe food insecurity has grown dramatically in the last six years. The Ukraine war is the latest element in an extremely complex situation. The UN had seen a lot of progress in reducing the number of people facing hunger in the last 20 years. But there’s been a reversing trend in about 20, 30 countries in the last several years.

Al Jazeera: Why is that?


Russo: Fragile food systems, poor governance, conflict and climate change. In the last five, six years, the number has doubled in terms of people needing aid to survive. Events like the one in Ukraine are a source of great worry for us.

Al Jazeera: How is the Ukraine crisis threatening food supply?


Russo: We need to clarify that today there is no global food shortage. Food is available. To give you a number, each year, the world produces about 780 million metric tons of wheat, and the shortage for this year is only three million.

An aerial view shows a tractor spreading fertiliser on a wheat field near the village of Yakovlivka after it was hit by an aerial bombardment outside Kharkiv, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues


Al Jazeera: So what you’re saying is that there’s no food shortage but there’s a food crisis?


Russo: There’s no food shortage but prices are escalating. One reason is the increased cost of energy. As a result of the Ukraine war, 19 countries in the last month put in place restrictive measures on food exports. All these contribute to increasing prices.

Al Jazeera: What countries need aid most?


Russo: Before the Ukraine crisis, we were monitoring the famine situations in Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan, northeastern Nigeria, and Somalia. Changes in food prices can have a devastating effect on them.

Al Jazeera: You mentioned there is enough food. What is the problem in getting it to people in need?


Russo: The increased price in wheat and fuel means that with the same money we can deliver much less assistance. Also, sometimes you cannot reach people who are stuck in a conflict zone.

Al Jazeera: What can be done now to prevent the food crisis from getting worse?


Russo: Monitor price and food insecurity closely to make sure we don’t miss people at risk. We also need to invest more in agriculture. In some countries, up to 80 percent of the population depends on it. But only 8 percent of humanitarian aid today goes to support rural livelihoods.

Al Jazeera: What if the war between Russia and Ukraine continues into 2023?


Russo: We could see very serious shortages. If the war continues, 2023 could be a very, very dangerous year.

Customers line up to buy produce in a market as inflation in Argentina hits its highest level in years, causing food prices to spiral, in Buenos Aires, Argentina


Al Jazeera: Who will be most affected?


Russo: Countries depending on imports from Ukraine and Russia and those whose staple foods are wheat and maize. North Africa and the Middle East are critical areas.

Al Jazeera: Do you think world leaders are doing enough? Are they hearing the emergency calls from the UN?


Russo: All attention is on the war in Ukraine. I hope that slowly leaders will realize that there are problems in other parts of the world as a result of the crisis in Ukraine.

Al Jazeera: The UN has recently called on billionaires to do more. It urged the world’s richest man, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, to donate funds. Is it really just a shortage of money?


Russo: Musk said: If you can demonstrate X amount of money can solve hunger, I will be happy to do it. But that’s a short-term solution. The point is to make sure that the root causes of hunger are addressed through long-term investment.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
×