Is there a real risk for a global food crisis?

Some governments in Europe are making plans to prepare for a real global food crisis while in some countries the effect is being felt.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron used the G7 conference in Brussels to unveil his own “food security programme.”

According to Macron, the world is experiencing an “unprecedented” food crisis, which is “a direct result of Russia’s decisions and the conflict.”

Macron’s “food security initiative” includes the following:

An emergency plan to release stocks in the event of a crisis

A multilateral commitment not to impose restrictions on agricultural raw material exports

A temporary increase in production thresholds, supporting sustainable food production in the most vulnerable countries

And creating a mechanism to provide them with agricultural products “in sufficient quantity and at reasonable prices”

The situation, in the president’s judgement, is already bad and might worsen “in 12-18 months.”

At a news conference, the French president, who meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a regular basis, asked Moscow to be “responsible” and allow Ukraine to continue sowing.

Otherwise, he said, “famine” would be “absolutely unavoidable” in several nations that rely heavily on Russian and Ukrainian agricultural exports.

Macron named Egypt, as well as a few other African countries and the Middle East, as among the most vulnerable.

Global food crisis and G7

G7 leaders have asked for a special meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Council in order to avoid the Ukrainian war from escalating into a worldwide food disaster, while French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his own “food security strategy.”

The Russian onslaught on its neighbouring nation “puts global food security under heightened strain,” according to a communiqué issued by the world’s largest economies on Thursday.

As a result, the G7 leaders pledged to employ “all tools and financial channels” to address food security, including assistance for “continuing Ukrainian production efforts,” as well as involving “relevant international organisations.”

“We call for an extraordinary session of the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to address the consequences on world food security and agriculture arising from the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” reads the communique.

According to World Trade Organization standards, the countries pledged to avoid export bans and other “trade-restrictive measures” and to preserve open and transparent markets.

Russia and Ukraine are two of the world’s most important crop producers. The two nations account for 53% of world sunflower oil and seed commerce and 27% of global wheat trade, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).