“As you sow, so you shall reap.” Putin’s war machine has sown violence and reaps only misery. The knock-on effects are being felt all over the world, including in some of the poorest countries, especially when it comes to food security.
Ukraine’s wheat farmers are struggling to sow the spring season’s crop. Some farmers are working in fields close to shelling and small arms fire, others are unable to venture out at all. The Agriculture Ministry says the areas available to cultivate have shrunk drastically from last year. When it comes to harvest time, the less wheat grown, the bigger the problem for countries such as Yemen, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Lebanon. They are among 26 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, which rely on Ukraine and Russia for more than half of their annual imports of the staple. Supplies from Russia are also in danger due to the war.
