Star comment: Ukraine war threatens food security as well as democracy
Farmers are among those counting the cost of rising prices. Fertiliser is among products that are more expensive as the war in Ukraine ramps up costs.
Those of us living in towns or cities may be forgiven for skipping by this story, feeling it is not relevant to our lives. But the cost of growing crops, and the availability of grain, is a big issue that will impact us directly.
Global food production is in a state of flux because of the war in Ukraine.
Grain produced by Ukraine is effectively being held hostage in Russian controlled ports. Most alarmingly, that may impact on vulnerable countries in Africa and famine is a very real prospect in some parts. It will also have an impact here, pushing up prices for all of us and putting many families in real difficulty.
Farmers here are seeing further disruption, with fertiliser prices going up, the result in the increased price in producing it as energy prices spiral.
With less grain in the global supply chain and the price of fertiliser to farm also going up, we are facing an escalating crisis as the cost of food spirals.
It is also a crisis that we can do little about. As long as war rages in Ukraine, we face a very worrying future.
Not only is democracy and the rule of international law under threat, the war in Ukraine is also threatening our global food security.
Many millions will go hungry and prices on supermarket shelves will rise alarmingly as a result of Vladimir Putin’s actions. We face an uncertain future. Defeat of Russia, the removal of Russian troops and the fall of Putin would appear to be the only way out of the mess our world currently finds itself in.
The will of Sainsbury’s to keep core grocery products low is welcome. The big stores recognise that shoppers are struggling. They also see the benefit of being able to keep shoppers coming into their stores with affordable core products.
The fact Sainsbury’s is pumping £500 million into the initiative shows just how quickly prices are going up. And it is alarming that Iceland is already seeing customers telling them that they are moving to foodbanks for help, or are leaving goods behind at the till because they cannot afford them.
We ought not to understate the humiliation and desperation of those who cannot afford basic provisions. It’s not just food, it’s also nappies, cleaning products and other items that people simply cannot live without.
We live in a society where a cost of living crisis inevitably impacts most on those who have no financial buffer.
