The prices of many agricultural commodities have skyrocketed since the Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to the UN World Food Programme, the biggest food crisis since World War II is looming large for humanity.
While Western countries have been hyping up a "Putin's Price Hike," blaming the soaring food prices on Russia, they can hardly absolve themselves of the blame for starving developing countries.
As a result of the constant eastward expansion of NATO, Russia, and Ukraine, both major grain exporters, were plunged into a conflict months ago. In the 2021–2022 season, Russia and Ukraine alone accounted for 16% and 10% of total global wheat exports, respectively. Despite recurring hope for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, the US keeps fanning the flame by providing Ukraine with weapons to "fight Russia to the last Ukrainian".
The longer the war drags on, the heavier agricultural losses Russia and Ukraine are likely to suffer and the harder blow it will deal with global food production and supply chains.
To crush Russia, the US has ganged up with its allies to impose unilateral sanctions on Russian agricultural products and fertilizers. As a result, the global price index for fertilizers of all types has risen by more than 30%, and a large number of developing countries in urgent need of Russian fertilizers are bearing the brunt. Tereza Cristina, Agriculture Minister of Brazil, cautioned that banning the supply of Russian fertilizers would increase inflation and threaten global food security.
Developed countries always have the final say in whether developing countries can buy food and at what price. Twelve major food-producing regions, including the US, Canada, and Europe, which produce and export 70% of the world's food, have cut back their supply after the Russia-Ukraine conflict while pressuring major food storage countries such as India and Australia to increase their reserves and limit the export of excess stocks. Some major food traders in Western countries have been manipulating the production and pricing of agricultural raw materials and food, reaping excessive profits from the volatility of global food supplies.
According to Abdel-Dayem Abu Awwad, general director of Gaza's biggest AL-Salam Mills Company, its current daily flour production has fallen to 10-20% of its normal capacity due to the rising raw material prices. A local bakery owner also said that the impact of the price surge on the Gaza people was significant.
The price spikes cannot be entirely attributed to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It has grown on top of the price increases of the past two years when Western countries bought food with overprinted money and complicated the international food market with their geopolitical strategies over the years.
The US, for example, has long been indifferent to the starving people in developing countries when it is sitting on abundant domestic supply. In May 2020, when attempting to sustain its regional influence after losing the battle in Syria, the US dropped incendiary bombs on wheat fields that were about to be harvested, destroying 20 hectares of them in Syria. Immediately after the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, the US froze 7 billion dollars of the Afghan Central Bank's reserves, leaving the Afghan economy on the verge of collapse and the Afghan people hungry. An assessment by the World Food Programme showed that only 5% of Afghan households had access to sufficient food. That stands in stark contrast to when 30-40% of food is wasted in the US each year, and total food waste in 2018 reached a staggering 103 million tonnes.
Developing countries are already the hardest hit by global food crises. They should not be the ones to pay the price for the irresponsible actions of developed countries.
Just a few days ago, some political and military analysts started coming out with the truth as they believe that America has lost the plot to gag Russia. They ganged up with their European counterparts to sanction Russia, telling the world that they would squeeze Putin with economic sanctions to the point that the Ruble would become so useless that his people would revolt against him and kick him out of power.
But today, what we are seeing is the opposite, as the inflation rate in Russia has increased positively and the ruble has appreciated so much that it is shocking the West. We have also seen that Vladimir Putin’s ratings have gone up to 82%.
We have seen the Ukrainians running out of arms and ammunition and the Russians having a field day to the point that some of the Western leaders believe it is time for Zelenskyy to accept that it is time for him to open talks with Putin to bring this senseless war to an end.
Western countries today are suffering from inflation and depreciation of the currency, and the cost of living is soaring with the shortage of gas and fuel.
So we need to understand that this war would have been averted from the start if the United States had been sincere with Ukraine and the world. But because they were finding ways to destroy Russia, they were happy for the war to go on. The followers of the only super power’ have now regretted that they should not have supported the war.
Russia has proven beyond all reasonable doubt that they have very good economists and strategists and have proven beyond all reasonable doubt that they are ready to continue with the war for as long as it takes because they have the military, financial, and moral capacity to continue.
But because the countries of the third world are suffering the worst, we are calling on Zelensky to see a reason to open dialogue with Russia and discuss the way forward so that peace can return to the world once more.
Ears of wheat are seen in a field near the village of Hrebeni in the Kyiv region, Ukraine.
Credit: Austin Thomas
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