FAO UN: in 2023 the world is waiting for a food crisis

Against the backdrop of the situation in Ukraine, the food situation in the world is expected to worsen, which will lead to both a shortage of raw materials and their rise in price, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) believes. These problems will begin in 2023, the number of hungry people in the world will increase by 13.7 million people. This forecast was voiced by the leading economist of the UN FAO Maximo Torero in an interview with the Stampa newspaper.

According to him, in 2022, the problem is not the availability of food, but its availability. He recalled that corn and grain are needed not only to make bread and FLOUR, but also to feed livestock, and their rise in price is reflected in the cost of production. At the same time, RUSSIA is the largest exporter of fertilizers and the restriction of supplies threatens food production, which leads to a worsening of the crisis in 2023, says Torero. He added that the current crisis is superimposed on the consequences of the pandemic. If the conflict continues, 18 million more people could be affected by malnutrition.

The most vulnerable is the population of poor African countries, but the problems of food production will also affect Europe, the FAO expert admits. “In Europe, such countries as Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, Finland, Estonia are almost 100% dependent on the supply of Russian fertilizers. Ireland, Norway, Poland, North Macedonia, Slovenia are added to them, ”Stampa quotes him.

According to the FAO expert, 53 countries were in a state of food security crisis even before the start of the conflict in Ukraine, 193 million people are considered vulnerable, but not yet in chronic hunger. “The current situation may lead to a deterioration in the situation of this category,” admits Torero.

Vice-President of the Russian Grain Union Alexander Korbut said that FAO estimates are a possible scenario. “Whether it is implemented or not is hard to say. It may well not be realized in the form they are talking about, ”he said. Korbut believes that the number of hungry people in the world will not decrease. Problems can be observed in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. “There is a risk zone, it is marked, but there is no certainty whether prices will rise,” he added. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that many years of mistakes by Western countries in economic policy and sanctions have led to global inflation, increased poverty and food shortages . He stated this in his greeting to the participants, organizers and guests of the XXV St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, TASS reports.

Growing food production in Russia

At the same time, the HEAD of state stressed that Russia guarantees the unhindered passage of ships with Ukrainian grain if Ukraine clears its ports of mines, and can ensure its EXPORT through controlled ports, such as Berdyansk and Mariupol. He said this in an interview with the Russia-1 TV channel. Kyiv, according to the head of state, can also export grain by land, and the most logical route is Belarus, from which, however, Western sanctions will have to be lifted. Putin also recalled that the problems in the global food market began in February 2020, and the causes of the energy crisis lie in the short-sighted policy of the West, and urged not to shift "from a sick head to a healthy one."