As many as 13 million people around the world “may be pushed into food insecurity as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
That’s the word from U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who says Ukraine and Russia are both major agricultural producers that have stopped generating food items as a result of the war.
Normally, the two countries provide the world with 30 percent of its wheat, 20 percent of its corn and 75 percent of its sunflower oil, Sherman says. But things are even worse in Ukraine, where there isn’t enough food to go around, Sherman adds.
“One mother told reporters she could feed her three daughters only a spoonful of honey a day as they hid from Russian bombs,” she says. “Now, city officials say people are beginning to die of starvation.”
“We are particularly concerned about countries like Lebanon, Pakistan, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and Morocco which rely heavily on Ukrainian imports to feed their population,” Sherman added.