Russian Invasion May Cause Global Food Crisis

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine drags on, observers are concerned about the availability of grain from the region to feed the global population.          

Kees Huizinga, Dutch Farmer in Ukraine: “There's still 25 million tons and grain and oil seeds left in Ukraine, that's a third of last year's harvest, so we already have a huge logistical problem.”

Huizinga moved to Ukraine 20 years ago and manages 37,000 acres of farm ground. The stocks of last year’s crops still in storage will soon be in the way of this summer’s harvest.       

The main logistical bottleneck is the closed port at Odessa. While the city remains under Ukrainian control, the Russian navy continues to limit shipping in the Black Sea to only Russian ports.

Huizinga: "I am really anxious, yeah. The only option to get the grain out of Ukraine is through the Black Sea ports. They have to be open, that's the only option."

The World Food Program is warning that an inability to distribute grain from the Black Sea region will lead to famine in dozens of countries, which could lead to political destabilization in multiple parts of the world. 

David Beasley, Executive Director of the UN's World Food Program: “People that are in serious food insecurity that are on the brink of famine? We have 49 million knocking on famine's door right now in 43 countries. I could tell you which 43 countries very well will have famine, destabilization and mass migration. There's only one solution to getting the food, the grains out of Ukraine. It's the ports, the ports in the Odessa region.”

For Market to Market, I’m Peter Tubbs.