Main / Repository / Economy / Russia’s war in Ukraine has triggered a global surge in food protectionism that increases a chance of a global food crisis — World Bank

Russia’s war in Ukraine has triggered a global surge in food protectionism that increases a chance of a global food crisis — World Bank

April 11, 2022

Russia’s war in Ukraine has triggered a global surge in food protectionism that increases a chance of a global food crisis — World Bank

“The war in Ukraine has triggered an alarming global surge in government controls on the export of food. It’s critical for policymakers to halt the trend, which is making a global food crisis more likely,” wrote David Malpass, the President of the World Bank Group.

In the space of a few weeks from the start of Russia’s invasion, the number of countries slapping on food-export restrictions jumped by 25%, bringing the total number of countries to 35. By the end of March, 2022, 53 new policy interventions affecting food trade had been imposed — of which 31 restricted exports, and nine involved curbs on wheat exports.

Restrictive export measures tend to reduce global supply, causing higher prices. A decade ago, such restrictions exacerbated the global food crisis, driving up wheat prices by a whopping 30%. And food crises are bad for everyone, but they are devastating for the poorest and most vulnerable people.

Read more

Link copied