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Global food security is at crossroads as rice shortages and surging prices hit the most vulnerable

36 Comments
By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL and EVELYNE MUSAMBI

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Wholesalers are yet to receive new stocks since India, the world's largest exporter of rice by far, said last month that it would ban some rice shipments.

It's an effort by the world’s most populous nation to control domestic prices ahead of a key election year

Bengalis, Tamils, Malayalis, Kannadigas, Assamese, Telugus and other Indians who love rice, pulao and biryani should switch to eating rotis and chapatis.

They are healthier and have more nutrients. And also contain less carbs. And it will free up India's rice production so that international markets can be stabilized and India will continue to earn foreign exchange.

Be a nationalist, give up rice and switch to rotis. Jai Hind.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Global food security is at crossroads

Yet some continue to cheer on the Kremlin's weaponization of food.

Of course many of the globe's major powers have in general made a mess of atheir use of agriculture and food distribution.

4 ( +10 / -6 )

There was a global food shortage even before the Russian-Ukrainian war. 4 billion people go to sleep every night without enough food in their stomachs.

Previously, Russia did not supply Africa with cheap or free wheat. Maize is more needed.

8 ( +14 / -6 )

Wow a Russian apologists.

Maybe you should read the article before commenting.

0 ( +11 / -11 )

Global food security is already under threat since Russia halted an agreement allowing Ukraine to export wheat 

Ridiculous

Blame the US UK and NATO for starting this going way way back to the Clinton admin.

Blame warmongers for wasting money and fooling the folks with BIG help from their MSM muppets.

Ukraine could have been avoided. It’s all on paper but you’ll have to go back 20 to 30 years which CNN and FOX can’t/won’t do.

So sad.

NATO should change their name to NA-poleon-TO.

-4 ( +11 / -15 )

@EvilBuddha - Bengalis, Tamils, Malayalis, Kannadigas, Assamese, Telugus and other Indians who love rice, pulao and biryani should switch to eating rotis and chapatis.

Umm, those are all made from wheat. Apparently you didn't notice this part:

Global food security is already under threat since Russia halted an agreement allowing Ukraine to export wheat

Though India is a major producer and exporter of wheat, the price of wheat has risen there due to lack of supply in the int'l markets along with bad harvests in various other countries. The domestic prices are in competition with the international prices, so if they are looking to keep the prices down, India would need to halt or limit their wheat exports just like they are doing with rice, and that would create utter havoc on both the int'l price and supply availability for dozens of countries.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Japan should be allowed to export the American rice it imports.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Production volume of nitrogen fertilizer worldwide in 2018, by country (in thousand metric tons)

Characteristic   Production in thousand metric tons

China    28,943

United States   13,617

India    13,337

Russia    9,430

5 ( +7 / -2 )

It takes a special skill to read that whole article and claim Russia is primarily to blame for all this.

how about using some of that freely available and plentiful Ukraine donation money to feed people instead of to kill people?

-7 ( +7 / -14 )

Ukraine donation money to feed people instead of to kill people?

Not just "people," invaders.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

He isn’t the only one. Global food security is already under threat since Russia halted an agreement allowing Ukraine to export wheat and the El Nino weather phenomenon hampers rice production.

It takes an even greater level of reality rejection to claim otherwise.

The Russians are THE cause of the end of the exports.

how about using some of that freely available and plentiful Ukraine donation money to feed people instead of to kill people?

That's a dumb idea. I have a much MUCH better one:

Let's take some of the frozen Russian assets around the world, including the ones that Mini-me has socked away under other people's names, and use that money to feed people?

That would have the happy effect of impoverishing a fascist as well. Win-Win.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

China is the world's biggest producer of rice. 150,000 million tons. China is only 6th for rice exports with India no1. The Indian ban on rice exports is hurting.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

FizzBitToday 02:30 pm JST

Global food security is already under threat since Russia halted an agreement allowing Ukraine to export wheat 

Ridiculous

Blame the US UK and NATO for starting this going way way back to the Clinton admin.

Still Putin's War

2 ( +7 / -5 )

BlacklabelToday 03:16 pm JST

It takes a special skill to read that whole article and claim Russia is primarily to blame for all this.

how about using some of that freely available and plentiful Ukraine donation money to feed people instead of to kill people?

Or Russia can stop being a disgrace of a country, end it's war, and everyone can prosper.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

and everyone can prosper.

oh like before this war when everyone in Africa was well fed and was “prospering”?

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

America is the largest donor to the World Food Program. $7 billion. Russia is 29th.

https://www.wfp.org/funding/2022

3 ( +6 / -3 )

TaiwanIsNotChina

Still Putin's War

Sure, for everyone who thinks history is irrelevant and gets their information off a Facebook feed or 24/7 corporate pro war news like, well…….you know.

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

Sure, for everyone who thinks history is irrelevant and gets their information off a Facebook feed or 24/7 corporate pro war news like, well…….you know

Where do you get your news on this war from?

I hope it’s not using the same source that told you the idea of Russia invading Ukraine was MSM propaganda for low intelligence people.

Have you switched from then?

1 ( +6 / -5 )

FizzBitToday 03:52 pm JST

TaiwanIsNotChina

Still Putin's War

Sure, for everyone who thinks history is irrelevant and gets their information off a Facebook feed or 24/7 corporate pro war news like, well…….you know.

No, for everyone that doesn't believe it is okay to agree tacitly to NATOs enlargement,

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/one-more-time-its-not-about-nato/

and then stew silently for 20 years before blowing up against a third country. In my mind that is not... masculine behavior.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

and everyone can prosper.

oh like before this war when everyone in Africa was well fed and was “prospering”?

And now they’re suffering g even more due to Russia using food as a weapon to coerce international “friendship.”

Yet another statement of willful disingenuousness.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

I hope it’s not using the same source that told you the idea of Russia invading Ukraine was MSM propaganda for low intelligence people.

You got me there. I was checking in on Pat Lang’s take on this back then. Sadly he’s passed away.

You might know him:

He was the first Professor of the Arabic Language at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. In the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) he was the “Defense Intelligence Officer for the Middle East, South Asia and Terrorism,” and later the first Director of the Defense Humint Service.” For his service in DIA, he was awarded the “Presidential Rank of Distinguished Executive.” This is the equivalent of a British knighthood. He was an analyst consultant for many television and radio broadcasts.

January 2022

Comment: What is the old saw about truth being the first casualty of any war? In this case truth is dying well before war begins. Zelensky evidently told Biden to calm down.

Will Putin decide to attack and overrun Ukraine? I doubt it but only he knows.

So not even the “Hero of Kiev” Zelenskyy thought Putin would invade.

But I guess you were much more informed than a high level military intelligence officer or the leader of Ukraine.

https://turcopolier.com/the-great-ukraine-hoax/

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Will Putin decide to attack and overrun Ukraine? I doubt it but only he knows.

So not even the “Hero of Kiev” Zelenskyy thought Putin would invade

Very poor layout here. Is it Zelenskyy saying he doubted Putin would invade but it was a possibility?

If so, that’s a reasonable statement.

That’s one of the views I got from the MSM. Much better than being told it was the MSM fooling the people not at the level of modern-day Galileos.

Anyway, thanks for the link. I’ll check it out.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

due to Russia using food as a weapon to coerce international “friendship.”

So how much of the world depends on Russia only for food?

between 0% to 0.0%?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

The article fails to mention ‘rice hoarding’ which is also putting the price of rice up beyond what it should be

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Also, Thailand and other Asian nations are having bumper 2023 rice harvests and Ukraine has nothing to do with it!

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Who is hoarding rice?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

So how much of the world depends on Russia only for food?

they depend on exports from Ukraine through the Black Sea.

Which Russia shut down.

even more so with the global warming issue that you insist does not exist.

A record day for disingenuous remarks.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Or is it just sheer stupidity?

Honestly, it’s hard to tell.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

when russia goes away from Ukraine everyone will have food in Africa. Ukraine has the largest area of most fertile soil, not only wheat, but sunflower oil and other cereals are all abundant in circumstances there are no warship around anymore. that's how it was before. but now, after russian invaders still persist in their crimes and mined large territories all interested parties show put some extra pressure on Biden to stop playing games and give Ukraine some planes ASAP.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

*should put

2 ( +3 / -1 )

they depend on exports from Ukraine through the Black Sea.

Which Russia shut down.

what percentage of the world is fed entirely by Ukraine with no other source of food then?

saw a huge beach resort party in Kyiv the other day, they had plenty of food and drink.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

Enough food produced to feed the world very easily. Stuff is held onto as is the case in India for monetary gain. There are bad logistics in some places. Other areas are dangerous to transport large amounts of food due to criminal governments and gangs.

People don’t care about others, though many pretend to. Third world countries are allowed to starve to death and impoverished in first world countries are allowed to struggle and be malnourished. It’s happening before our eyes and it doesn’t have to.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Eastman

Global food security is already under threat since Russia halted an agreement allowing Ukraine to export wheat.

I have stopped to read this story right here.

Someone is going to say that Russia is bad and main reason why some africans can get cheap rice.

First at all dear journos-there is no rice made in Russia,maybe because of russian cliamte/hint?/.

The article talks about global food security, not rice, that is under threat from Russia pulling out of the deal.

Second.So called grain agreement was breached by UA/west side as russians were not allowed to export own grain and fertilizer.If you are talking about "russian threat" you need to consider also reasons why deal was cancelled and not just talk about consequences.

That's not true. Russia exported a record amount of grain last year. And they can export fertilizer. Russia cancelled the deal because they wanted some western sanctions lifted.

Third.Russia will have record high harvest this year and will provide wheat etc to african countries EASY at prices agreed.

That's just PR. Six countries will get a small amount (50,000 tonnes) of rice free.

Fourth.Who is crying that food security is at crossroads ask USA/west to stop unecessary wars and money wasted for weapons and destruction to use for help with grain,fertilizers,technology and machinery to african and asian farmers.They may even donate grain to them as Russia do.

I agree, unnecessary, wasteful wars should be stopped. Only Russia can stop the imperialistic war in Ukraine. Maybe you should be calling for and end to Russian imperialism.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

falseflagsteve

People don’t care about others, though many pretend to. Third world countries are allowed to starve to death and impoverished in first world countries are allowed to struggle and be malnourished. It’s happening before our eyes and it doesn’t have to.

Agreed. If Russia stopped the war in Ukraine food security wouldn't be threatened.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

2020

Absolute nonsense, it's been ongoing for decades

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

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