From the outset of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the outflow of Ukrainian refugees, humanitarian aid agencies have warned that global food supplies have come under stress and financial resources have been diverted to Ukraine from other major crises.
The abrupt absence of Russian and Ukrainian grain exports, which account for 30 per cent of world supplies, has created shortages and compelled governments and aid agencies to compete with wealthy countries for supplies, driving up prices in Middle Eastern, South Asian and African countries.
The situation is acute in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Afghanistan, where poverty is rampant and bread the daily staple food.
