COMMENT | Food security in times of war

COMMENT | More than four months have passed since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The global consequences of this war of aggression know no borders.

Across the continents, hundreds of millions of people face a perfect storm of rapidly rising prices for energy, fertilisers and food, combined with the disruption of supply chains and broader macro-economic risks. As elsewhere, also in Malaysia, these factors pose severe risks for a successful post-Covid-19 economic recovery.

Therefore, I see a need to recall the reasons that triggered the current global food security crisis. The irrefutable fact is that Russia’s invasion is currently blocking 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain from world markets. This is creating big shortages and price increases on the international markets.

With Ukraine and Russia exporting nearly a third of the world’s wheat and...