UN “deeply concerned” Russia’s pullout of grain deal will escalate world food crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed deep concern at Russia’s decision to suspend its involvement in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal set up to reintroduce vital food and fertilizer exports from Ukraine to the rest of the world.

On Saturday, Russia announced that it was suspending its involvement in the deal, citing an attack the same day on ships in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol in the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, mountains of grains built up in silos, with ships unable to secure safe passage to and from Ukrainian ports, and land routes were unable to compensate.This contributed to sharp rises in the price of staple foods around the world, which, together with increases in the cost of energy, pushed developing countries to the brink of debt default and increasing numbers of people to the brink of famine.

Russia’s move reportedly took traders by surprise, and raised fears of another steep rise in food prices. Russia’s decision poses a danger to a large number of countries, many of them in Africa, and should be resolved as soon as possible, Arif Husain, Chief Economist at the World Food Programme (WFP), reportedly warned. Danielle Nierenberg, President Food Tank, says Russia’s decision to halt grain shipments means using food as a weapon and, as a result, food prices across the world will increase and people, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, will suffer the most. “Russia is doing everything to ensure that millions of Africans, millions of residents of the Middle East and South Asia, will find themselves in conditions of artificial famine or at least a severe food crisis”.