FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said during a meeting with agriculture ministers from G20 industrialized nations in Bali, that with Ukraine’s access to grains, cooking oils and other important foodstuffs for the countries, countries most vulnerable are constrained by seven months of conflict,”we must increase the resilience of global agricultural systems. “
Grains Initiative, ‘an important step’
He praises UN mediation Black Sea Grains Initiative is “an important step forward,” and has now released more than five million tons of food, with more than a quarter of shipments going directly to lower-income countries.
“But I stillt needs to be added to improve food access for most vulnerable countries“, I said.
Overall, wholesale food prices have been falling for five months now, but consumer food prices and inflation are soaring, “with serious implications for global food security and nutrition.”
And in addition to the crisis caused by conflict, an increase in extreme weather is also responsible for damaged crops and failures around the world.
“Although we have seen improvements in our forecasts for the wheat and soybean markets, The outlook for corn and rice is not very positive, and the fertilizer market remains limited in terms of supply and volatility… Much work needs to be done to ensure that everyone can buy safe and nutritious food in sufficient quantities to meet their dietary needs and preferences and lead a healthy life. “
Formula for Resilience
Mr. QU said key steps need to be taken to strengthen resilience for now and in the future:• Improved early warning and early action systems.
• Increase productivity in a sustainable way.
• Accelerate trade; and find innovative solutions to the supply constraints of inorganic fertilizers.
Over the medium term, he told ministers, it was important to foster innovation, invest in infrastructure to reduce inequality, reduce food loss and waste, and in the short term, improve resilience. access to food.
“Since FAO has proposed the Food Import Financing Facility – which I am very happy about IMF has now been taken over and it is calling it the ‘food shock window’ in the IMF’s emergency lending instruments”.
Support for low-income countries
The idea of the financial institution is to provide funds 62 lower-income food-importing countries, home to about 1.8 billion peopleto meet their most pressing needs.
He said it was important to speed up exports from Ukraine and Russia through Black Sea Grains Initiative; and “increasing fertilizer availability through the US consolation letter issues and new guidelines issued by the European Commission”.
Conflict, slowdown and recession, because COVID-19and the climate crisis, he told ministers, “are the main drivers of our crises today and tomorrow.”
“That is it is important that all nations join together for peace and stability, so that we are all committed to peace. Without peace, we will not achieve Zero Hunger and Sustainable development goals (SDGs). “
© WFP
Women carry food from a WFP distribution point in Marsabit County, northern Kenya.
