World hunger ‘alarmingly high’ in wake of invasion of Ukraine

GLOBAL hunger levels “remain alarmingly high” nearly six months on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the World Bank has warned.

The conflict and the fallout from the pandemic have created an entrenched supply chain crisis “that will drive millions more into extreme poverty, magnifying hunger and malnutrition, while threatening to erase hard-won gains in development”, the Washington, Dc-based organisation said.

Its analysts warned the multi-headed crisis is “reversing years of development gains” and threatens to hit low and middle-income countries particularly hard.

They warned seven countries – Afghanistan, Eritrea, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan, and Yemen – have been put at the greatest risk of facing “overlapping” food and debt crises thanks to the war.

The analysts said: “For poor countries that depend on food imports from Russia and Ukraine, many of which are in Africa, finding alternative food sources in the short term is difficult with low regional supply and limited transport and storage infrastructure.”

Monday saw the first voyage of a ship carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea since Russia invaded in February. The Razoni left the port city of Odesa carrying 26,000 tons of corn bound for Lebanon, nearly two weeks after a Turkey-brokered deal to allow trade through the crucial sea route.

Global food prices soared to all-time highs in the direct aftermath of the invasion, but have fallen back since, although analysts have warned extreme heat in Europe and North America will damage this year’s harvests. Paris-listed milling wheat is up about 20pc since the start of the year, while corn prices in Chicago are less than 2pc higher.

The World Bank warned grain export capacity from Ukraine, known as a “breadbasket of the world”, has been reduced by more than two thirds as a result of the conflict.

It said: “High logistics prices have reduced the profitability of trade, forcing farmers to reduce planting area in order to maintain income levels, a coping strategy which could decrease future production.”