On the ninth day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UN World Food Programme voiced grave concern at the dwindling ability of families in conflict zones to get enough food, warning the war could drive global hunger to new levels and impact millions of people far beyond the country's borders.
“The bullets and bombs in Ukraine could take the global hunger crisis to levels beyond anything we’ve seen before," WFP Executive Director David Beasley said on Friday during a visit to a staging hub it has set up at the Polish-Ukrainian border.
“In a year when the world is already facing an unprecedented level of hunger, it’s just tragic to see hunger raising its head in what has long been the breadbasket of Europe,” Beasley said.
Russia and Ukraine generate 29% of the global wheat trade and any major disruption of production and exports from the region could push food prices beyond their current 10-year highs, leaving millions facing hunger, especially in countries where there is already high food inflation, Rome-based WFP warned.
“This is not just a crisis inside Ukraine. This is going to affect supply chains, and particularly the cost of food,” Beasley said.
“Now we’re looking at a price hike that will cost us, in operational costs, anywhere from 60 and 75 million dollars more per month. And that means more people are going to go to bed hungry.”
