Under the effect of the war in Ukraine, food crises have worsened, with the expected consequence in 2022 of a substantial increase in the bill for importing countries, due to the soaring prices of cereals and fertilizers, warns the FAO.
“Global expenditure on food imports is expected to increase by $51 billion (to $1.8 trillion) compared to 2021, including $49 billion due to higher prices alone,” estimates the United Nations Food and Drug Administration. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its “Food Outlook” report released on Thursday.
This increase in the bill “is explained primarily by the surge in prices and transport costs rather than by the increase in volumes”, underlines the report. In 2022, “world production of the main cereal species is expected to decline for the first time in four years”, as well as their use on a planetary scale, in decline for the first time in 20 years, according to the FAO.
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World wheat production should therefore decline slightly, to 771 million tonnes according to the FAO, in a tense context, with more uncertain harvests due to drought, as for example in India, and due to the war in Ukraine, where, according to the national cereal association, production will fall by at least 40%, with exports halved (to 10 million tonnes).
“The finding is cause for concern: many vulnerable countries are spending more without, however, receiving more food,” notes the UN organization. “These are alarming signs from a food security perspective, as they indicate that importers are struggling to finance these ever-increasing international costs, possibly signaling the end of their resilience in the face of rising prices. “, underlines the report. However, the organization tempers, the direct consumption of cereals for human consumption should not be affected, because “the decline would come from a reduction in the use of wheat, coarse grains and rice for animal feed “.
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