War in Ukraine Could Have Disastrous Effects on Agriculture as Europe’s ‘Breadbasket’ Remains in Limbo

Tags: Currents Media, Russia, Ukraine, World News

Currents News Staff

On a farm in western Ukraine, and many like it across the country, the future of food security for hundreds of millions of people around the world is being determined.

One-third of the world’s most fertile soil is in Ukraine, according to the U.N. So what doesn’t grow there or what this country is unable to export because of the war, will cause ripple effects around the globe.

“The repercussions of the war in Ukraine began to impact everything,” said Volodymr Remeniak, Head of the District State Administration, “including all agricultural operations inside and outside the country, including the Sowing season.”

The most productive farms lie in the hottest conflict areas of the country and the Ukrainian agriculture minister said the impact on this year’s crops will be devastating.

“Last season, we had approximately a total of 110 million tons,” said Mykola Solskyi, the Agriculture Minister of Ukraine. “This year, we expect at least 30% less than this amount.”

This is already impacting food prices for everyone but most acutely for people in vulnerable countries:

In 2020, 80% of Lebanon’s wheat imports came from Ukraine alone; 40% of Libya’s; 30% of Egypt’s wheat came from Ukraine last year and now bakery prices there are jumping as high as 25%.

Ukraine is known as the breadbasket of Europe and so a war on this country is also an attack on all those who depend on it for food.