New York, 18 April 2022 (TDI): Ukraine grows 50% of the world grain supply, which is sufficient to meet the needs of 125 million people across the globe.
These remarks were delivered by United Nations (UN) World Food Program Executive Director, David Beasley on Face Nation. He warned the global community that blocking ports in Ukraine could incite famine in developing countries.
Developing countries are at risk of starvation, mass migration, global food disasters, and political instability due to the disruption of food supply chains.
Beasley urged G7 leaders and other stakeholders to return unused agricultural land to the farmers to sustain Ukrainian food supplies.
“This is where the international community should intervene and make decisions about protecting ports for humanitarian purposes and opening ports to the whole world because the whole world will pay the price if we do not open ports,” he said.
Food reserves in Ukraine
Beasley shared the statistics that Ukraine produces food for 400 million people worldwide. He shared the fact that the storage facilities in Ukraine are filled with grain.
But disruption in the supply chain due to the closure of Southern ports at the Black Sea has threatened developing countries with acute food shortages and hunger.
He shared that Ukraine can still grow food if the war ends now. “You will have acute shortages, death, and starvation. You will have destabilization of several nations, and you will have mass migration,” he said.
Due to increased operating costs, four to five million people cannot be fed this year. He urged rich countries to fill the financial gap of $8 million to avoid long-term challenges to food markets.
According to him, operating expenses for the UN food program increased by $71 million per month. Beasley said four to five million fewer people will be fed a year because of the cost increase.
