The food crisis is coming

News Desk: By invading Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is destroying the lives of people far away from the battlefield. And the level of this devastation is going to be so high that he might even regret it. The war is hurting the global food system, which has already been weakened by the Covid-19, climate change and sudden energy crisis. Most of Ukraine's grain and oilseed exports have been cut off, and Russia's exports are under threat. About 12 percent of the total calories supplied to the world market come from these two countries. Wheat prices have risen 53 percent since the beginning of the year. In addition, due to the worrying heat wave, India imposed a ban on the export of wheat on May 18, the price of this food grain has increased by another 6 percent. The widely accepted notion of the cost of living cannot predict exactly what might happen next. On May 17, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that there was a threat of a global food shortage in the coming months, which could last for years. The number of people who are not guaranteed adequate food due to the high prices of various foods has already increased from 44 crores to 160 crores in the world. Another 250 million people are on the brink of famine. If the war continues and Russia and Ukraine's supply to the world market is limited, millions more could fall into poverty. This will lead to political instability, stagnation of children and starvation. Many hope that President Vladimir Putin will not use food as a weapon. World leaders should see hunger as a global problem, not a lack of inevitable consequences of war. And for this, a global solution is urgently needed.