The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month, up 12.6% from February. Together, Russia and Ukraine account for around 30% and 20% of global wheat and corn exports, respectively. He said he couldn't calculate how much the war was to blame for the record food prices, noting that poor weather conditions in the United States and China also were blamed for crop concerns. Soaring food prices and disruption to supplies coming from Russia and Ukraine have threatened food shortages in countries in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia where many people already were not getting enough to eat. Farmers, he said, were particularly worried that they would not be able to access fertilizers produced in the Black Sea region.

Source: New York Times April 08, 2022 10:56 UTC