The challenges of the sowing campaign
The war has an impact not only on Ukraine’s food security, but also on the world as a whole. Here are some examples of negative consequences, namely the problems of production and supply of edible oil, dairy products and cereals (all these are the main resources of the agro-industrial system of the Kharkiv region).
It is worth noting that as of 2021, Ukraine was among the top five suppliers of agricultural products to the EU. Like the food industry, the global cosmetics sector is battling the effects of the war. The fact is that producers use alcohol extracted from grain and organic beets (for perfume production). And vegetable oil is used for the production of cosmetics. That is, those crops that are exported from Ukraine. Amber Martone, vice president of Italian perfume production at ICR (which includes Bulgari, Salvatore Ferragamo, Trussardi and others), says the cost of essential alcohol is rising by 30% . One of the brightest examples of the consequences due to the problems of production and supply of dairy products is the farm of Kherson region. Before the war, the farm had an area of 1.5 thousand hectares and produced 10 tons of milk daily. The milk was delivered to the French company Lactalis, where it produced the well-known President butter. Currently, the farm is under occupation and does not have the ability to export products. Sunflower oil is one of the industry standards for the production of snacks, such as potato chips. The founder of The British Snack Company, which produces potato chips and supplies them to pubs, said in an interview that sunflower oil is a key ingredient after potatoes. Now, due to sales restrictions, the company has been forced to switch to rapeseed oil, which is three times more expensive than sunflower oil.
Not only businesses and industries, but also ordinary people in the United Kingdom have faced problems with the supply of solar oil. Supermarkets across the country have imposed temporary restrictions on the retail sale of vegetable oil. Yes, the Tesco network allows you to sell three units of goods per consumer, and Waitrose and Morrisons have set a limit of two units .
According to Human Rights Watch, the war has affected the food security of many African countries. The reason for this is that many countries in East, West, Central and even South Africa depend on Ukraine and russia for a significant percentage of imports of wheat, fertilizers and vegetable oils. However, due to the war, trade flows to Africa are disrupted and this affects pricing policy: prices (for food), which have so far been raised through COVID, are now rising even higher. This applies not only to those countries where the percentage of imports from Ukraine and Russia is quite high, but also to those who import little, because prices are affected by rising world prices for key goods.
Ukraine is one of the world’s five largest exporters of barley, sunflower and corn, accounting for about a third of the world’s wheat exports. Nigeria, the world’s fourth largest importer of wheat, receives a quarter of its imports from Russia and Ukraine. Cameroon, Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan receive more than 40% of their wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) buys half of Ukraine’s wheat, which it distributes worldwide. With the war, supplies declined and prices rose, including for fuel, and the cost of transporting food to the region increased. In 2021, Ukraine was the largest single source of food for the United Nations World Food Program. Many countries, from East to West Africa, are already struggling with rapid international prices for food, fuel and fertilizers. As the war in Ukraine and economic sanctions against Russia stifle food production and trade, the deficit is widening and food prices are rising as a result of food speculation. Ukraine is one of the cheapest exporters on the market. This has made it very attractive to low-income countries. Now delivery is complicated. Meanwhile, food, oil and delivery prices continue to rise.