Russia-Ukraine war jeopardizing food security in Middle East, Africa

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is jeopardizing food security in low-income countries, especially in the Middle East and Africa, an expert said.

Eren Gunhan Ulusoy, head of the International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) Eurasia, told Anadolu Agency some countries in Africa are requesting aid as they cannot find sufficient resources for wheat imports.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which began on Feb. 24, has caused significant increases in commodity prices, especially for food such as wheat, corn and sunflower seed.

The price of wheat was around $350 per ton before the war, he said. It climbed to $400 at first, and then shot up to $500, exceeding the highest price recorded in 2008, Ulusoy said.

"Rising wheat prices affect all wheat importer countries, as almost every continent in the world has a country that cannot produce wheat due to climatic conditions," he said.

While last year there was a decrease in wheat production globally, this year there are some positive expectations on the supply side due to robust production, he further said.

- Turkiye's position

Turkiye can be self-sufficient in wheat when it has a productive season under good climatic conditions, he said.

However, the production decreased to 17.6 million tons due to the drought last season.

He said that this season, Turkiye should import around 9 million tons of wheat for meeting the domestic need and exporting flour products.

The country is the largest flour exporter in the world and the second-largest pasta exporter globally.

The crisis has not yet caused any disruption in the wheat supply from Russia but Ukraine has stopped exports, Ulusoy said.

He said there are many supplier countries that are an alternative to Russia and Ukraine such as Baltic countries, Argentina, the US, and Australia.

"In fact, India, one of the world's most important wheat-stocking countries during the pandemic, started exporting wheat to turn the crisis into an opportunity," he added.

Therefore, there is no problem in the supply of imported raw materials for Turkiye's flour export, he underlined.

"In addition, there are transitions from Ukraine's export markets to Turkiye due to the forced suspension of flour exports.

"As a result, we expect Turkiye's flour export to reach over 3 million tons," he said,