Conflict in Ukraine adds to global food security threat: WFP

GENEVA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday warned that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is further threatening global food security, with food prices already at an all-time high.

In this file photo taken on October 09, 2020 this general view shows the exterior of The World Food Programme (WFP) headquarters in Rome. (Photo: AFP)

Jakob Kern, the WFP's Emergency Coordinator for Ukraine, told an online press conference that the conflict has triggered a wave of hunger across the globe.

As the world's largest and fourth-largest exporters of wheat respectively, Russia and Ukraine together are responsible for 29 percent of the global wheat trade. Therefore, the two countries are critical to ensuring the food security of many countries around the world.

The owner of a warehouse of wheat and grains displays Ukrainian wheat in Hasbaya, southern Lebanon, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Photo: Xinhua)

Global food and fuel prices have increased sharply since the start of the conflict, Kern said. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization's Food Price Index, they reached an all-time high in February 2022.

The price of wheat increased by 24 percent from Feb. 21 to March 15, Kern said.

"These hikes will affect local food prices and, through these, access to food, especially for millions of people who are already struggling to put food on the table," he added.

"This year we are at a crossroads: either we rise to the challenge of meeting immediate needs while at the same time supporting programs that build long-term resilience at scale, or we face even bigger problems down the line," Kern said.