The yellow field in Ukraine’s blue-yellow flag symbolizes the country’s undulating golden wheat field. Ukraine and Russia together produce around 30 percent of the world’s wheat and about half of all sunflower oil, but the war is hampering both production and exports. Countries such as Egypt and Somalia are dependent on imports of wheat and other agricultural products from Ukraine.
The price of bread and food is rising
All over the world, the prices of basic goods such as bread and cooking oil are soaring. The UN Secretary-General has described it as the poor basket of poor countries now being bombed in Ukraine and that it could lead to an acute hunger crisis. In war-torn Yemen, for example, even more people are at risk of starvation, and in West Africa the worst food shortage in ten years is threatening.
Lack of bread can lead to revolution
In Egypt, bread is considered so important that bread is called the same Arabic word as life- “aish”. There, rising bread prices led to riots in 1977 and ever since, Egyptian governments have not dared to remove subsidies on bread. The protests during the Arab Spring were also partly about young people wanting decent living conditions and food on the table. Now warn of new popular uprisings if food becomes unsustainably expensive. Hear how the Ukraine crisis could lead to protests and aggravated hunger in the Middle East and Africa.
Participants: Johan Mathias Sommarström and Cecilia UddénMiddle East Correspondents, Shaho Mwany Ekot, Richard Myrenberg, Africa correspondent
Host: Helene Benno
Introduction: Johar Bendjelloul
Producer: Katja Magnusson
Technician: Klas Österman
Source: ICELAND NEWS