Ukraine and Russia are also called the “breadbasket of the world”. The soil there is particularly fertile and therefore a lot of grain is grown, especially wheat and maize. This food is then exported all over the world, but especially to the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia.
But nothing has been the same since February 24th. Some of the food from the region is no longer delivered due to the war in Ukraine and trade restrictions with Russia. And food prices are rising around the world. Martin Frick, director of the World Food Program in Berlin, warns of dire consequences, especially in the world’s poorest countries. Many families there already have to spend up to 80 percent of their income on food. “That means that if the prices continue to rise, you can no longer save anywhere else, but have reached the limit,” says Frick.
In the short term, therefore, the world markets urgently need to be kept open. Frick also says: Rich countries like Germany shouldn’t make hamster purchases now and thereby drive up prices further. In the long term, however, the countries in which hunger is particularly great should above all be empowered to grow more food themselves again.
Related news: Paus to become new family secretary, Musk to take over Twitter.
How to subscribe to our news podcast
“To the point” is the SZ news podcast with the most important topics of the day. The podcast appears Monday through Friday at 5 p.m. You can find all the episodes on sz.de/nachrichtenpodcast. Don’t miss an episode and subscribe to our audio offer, for example at: iTunes, Spotify, deezer, AudioNow or in your favorite podcast app. In this text we explain how you can listen to our podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts at: www.sz.de/podcast.
You have any questions or suggestions? Then write to us: [email protected].