Nearly 4,500,000 tons of grain are stuck in Ukraine’s ports, says UN
Prior to the Russian invasion, Ukraine was one of world’s largest exporters of wheat and corn – something many developing countries rely upon for food supplies.
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“Hunger should not be (used as) a weapon,” said Frick.
He said that shipments of Ukrainian agricultural produce via maritime trade routes have to be resumed in order to avoid a global food crisis.
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Western countries have warned of a potential food crisis in a number of countries due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In March, the UN recorded food price inflation rate of 12% – the highest since 1990.
Price hikes and interruption in food supply threatens countries in the Middle East, Africa, and some parts of Asia with food crises.
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Earlier, Bulgaria and Romania agreed to make their ports available for Ukrainian agricultural exports.