When two of the world’s largest grain producers are at war, the consequences are felt at dinner tables around the world. Nowhere has that been more evident than in Africa.
The coronavirus pandemic and a drought in South America strained global agricultural markets. Then as Russia invaded Ukraine, food prices skyrocketed. Last month, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization’s food price index reached a record high.
At least 14 African countries import half of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine, according to the F.A.O. Eritrea depends on them entirely for its wheat. East Africa has been worst hit as drought and local conflict have disrupted farming. In Somalia, which relies on Russia and Ukraine for more than 90 percent of its wheat, the war affected Eid celebrations — even samosas became unaffordable.
“What became evident to me during my trip is that the drought, pandemic-related supply disruptions and now the war in Ukraine have created and exacerbated a full-blown food crisis in Somalia — and in many countries across East Africa,” said Abdi Latif Dahir, The Times’s East Africa correspondent, who spent two weeks reporting from Somalia.
“Any price increases globally, no matter how marginal to some communities they may seem, they hurt the poor countries the most because in their spending, the biggest share goes to food,” said Wandile Sihlobo, an agricultural economist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. “Yes, we can talk about the challenges that Africa faces, but the important question is, What is Africa doing about this?”
The F.A.O. warned that the number of people facing a food crisis in West and Central Africa could quadruple — to 41 million this year from 10.7 million before the pandemic. Flooding and drought in parts of southern Africa are also a concern