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• WEP is paying $71 million a month extra for food in 2022 due to inflation and Ukraine crisis
• Wheat price increased 24% from February to March
Ukraine’s food supply system is collapsing rapidly, putting civilians at risk, with a portion of infrastructure destroyed and grocery stores and warehouses having no stock, United Nations' World Food Programme (WEP) official has warned.
“The country’s food supply chain is falling apart. Movements of goods have slowed down due to insecurity and the reluctance of drivers,” Jakob Kern, the WFP’s emergency coordinator for Ukraine, said at a Geneva media briefing on Friday, via a videolink from Poland.
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Kern also expressed concern about the food and water supplies situation in “encircled cities” such as Mariupol, as the supplies are running out and its convoys had been unable to enter the city.
Surging food prices
Ukraine is the world’s fifth-biggest wheat producer, and WFP buys nearly half of its wheat supplies from the country. Kern said that the crisis had pushed up food prices sharply.
“With global food prices at an all-time high, WFP is also concerned about the impact of the Ukraine crisis on food security globally, especially hunger hot spots,” he said, warning of “collateral hunger” in other places.
The price of wheat has increased 24% from February to March, pushing prices to record levels.
WEP is paying $71 million a month extra for food in 2022 due to both inflation and the Ukraine crisis, Kern said, mentioning that such an amount would cover the food supplies for 4 million people.
Picture Credit: Reuters