Ukraine MP says Russia's war will aggravate food insecurity for over 47 mn people

The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, that entered day 86 on May 20, has now started impacting the global food supply. Expressing grave concern over the current situation, Ukraine MP Lesia Vasylenko said that Russia's "special military operation" has already brought severe food insecurity worldwide. According to the legislator, more than 47 million people are likely to suffer from food insecurity due to the ongoing war. She said that the Russian forces have blocked the major Ukrainian port and added that if Black Sea ports will be deblocked, it could avert the crisis. In a Twitter post, the lawmaker appealed to world leaders to start a military operation in the blocked seaport in order to address the emergency like situation.

"Russia’s war on Ukraine will bring severe food insecurity to 47 million additional people worldwide. Deblocking Ukrainian Black Sea ports could change that. But international military involvement would definitely be needed for this operation," she wrote.

Earlier this month, a report published by the World Food Programme (WFP) noted that the ongoing war has forced more than 20 million people in the Horn of Africa into acute food shortage. Though the report noted that the condition was not up to the mark even before Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a brutal war against Ukraine, the situation worsened further as the major port that supplies agricultural production to the whole world remained blocked by the Russian troops. The WFP warned that if urgent relief was not provided to several countries in the Horn of Africa, the country would enter the phase of famine. Meanwhile, in Kenya, a country in East Africa with a coastline on the Indian Ocean, the number of people who are suffering from starvation has increased fourfold in the past two years. In Ethiopia, a rugged, landlocked country split by the Great Rift Valley, the situation is even grave as more than 70 lakh people are struggling from hunger every day.

Ukraine accounts for 10% of the wheat production in the world

According to a recent report by The New York Times, Ukraine accounts for 10% of the wheat production in the world, however, due to the Russian aggression, the export of the cereal grain, a worldwide staple food, has reduced to one-tenth. The report said that the war has cut off some international shipments of wheat, resulting in acute shortages and soaring prices globally. Earlier last month, Ukraine's agricultural minister, in a televised address, said that the Russian forces were now targetting the stocks of grains, resulting in the country shifting many of its stocks to other places. The same was also echoed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his address to Italy’s parliament last month. He told the parliament that a famine-like situation could affect many countries which are dependent on the war-torn country. Moreover, the WFP noted that the last year's drought in several agricultural-based countries has also turned the situation grave.

Image: Twitter/@lesiavasylenko, AP