American think tank: Inflation threatens global food security

“Rising prices threaten global food security,” IRNA reported in an article titled “Rising Prices Threaten Global Food Security.” The world got worse.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Price Index, food prices in March were 29 percent higher than at the same time last year.

With prices falling slightly in April, FAO Deputy Director-General Maximo Torrero said that even with the decline, prices were too high for people’s purchasing power.

“The current problem is not with food shortages, but with access to them, and if the situation continues, the world may face food shortages next year,” the FAO chief economist told the Food Institute.

“The worst-case scenario drawn by the FAO is that 30 percent of the world’s grain exports may be halted and restrictions on access to fertilizers could lead to reduced agricultural production in other parts of the world,” the Food Institute wrote. This will not only reduce access to food, but also increase food prices and food insecurity, and exacerbate malnutrition in the world.

In this interview, the FAO Deputy Director General expressed hope that the worst-case scenario would not materialize: “Countries’ dependence on a small number of food producers has put them at serious risk.”

The report of the “Food Institute” stated: 30% of wheat and corn imports from 50 countries are from Russia and Ukraine, and 30 out of these 50 countries supply more than 50% of their wheat needs from these two countries.

“The threat of restricting the exports of some food-producing countries, such as Russia, may also make the situation worse,” the think tank wrote.

The FAO Deputy Director-General encouraged world leaders to increase solidarity and facilitate trade, saying that in addition to advising on normalization of world trade, the FAO is looking for ways to help vulnerable countries in the face of rising costs.

Torro believes that bridging the food price gap in vulnerable countries will not only ensure food security in those countries, but also reduce the risk of social unrest.