Food for the world
Civil wars, the global crisis, COVID-19 and climate change — these are the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, threatening the world’s food security and thus the political stability of the globe.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has hit not only the citizens of the other country, but also people living in countries and cities many thousands of kilometers away from where the armed conflict is taking place. Only in theory is it regional in nature. In practice, it affects a large part of the globe, including — residents of many poorer countries that depend on imports of Russian or Ukrainian grains, primarily — wheat, as well as other crops, such as barley or sunflower seeds (and sunflower oil). Wheat, however, remains the most important, as Russia and Ukraine account for nearly 30% of world trade in this grain. And it is a not insignificant trade. Admittedly, the most produced grain in the world is corn (1.1 billion tons in 2020), and wheat is in second place (760 million tons), but it is the latter that dominates world markets. Every year, nearly a quarter of production, some 180 million t, sets off on a long journey by ship and train.
The direction of this global wheat migration is, with some exceptions, one: from Europe, North America and Australia, i.e. the Global North, to countries in Asia and Africa, i.e. the Global South. The top five exporters include both Russia and Ukraine. Together…
