Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected the global wheat market, raising fears of hunger in some countries.
Apart from Russia and Ukraine, the United States, Australia and Canada are the largest wheat exporters, according to AFP. Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey import the most wheat.
There are only a few countries in the world that produce enough wheat to use and export the rest.
"Everyone eats wheat, but not everyone has the ability to grow wheat," says Bruno Permentier, an economist and author of the book Feeding Humanity.
While China is the largest producer of wheat, it has to import more wheat for its population of 14 billion.
Although there are more grains available in exchange for wheat, there is no one who likes the taste of every special and common. Wheat is ground in a mill to make flour and flour, which is then used to make double bread, noodles, and a variety of foods, including a variety of desserts.
Why did wheat prices rise?
Grain prices were even higher before Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
One reason for this was that as the lockdown ended after the Corona decline and the economy began to recover, so did the price of fuel, as well as the price of nitrogen fertilizer.
The lifting of sanctions imposed by Corona has not only increased the demand for all kinds of goods, but has also disrupted the global supply line.
In addition, rising temperatures and heat waves in Canada also affected wheat production last year.
Why did the war worsen the situation?
Wheat prices have risen sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, reaching ی 400 a tonne in European markets in May. Wheat prices have more than doubled since last winter.
The sharp rise in wheat prices has created more problems for developing countries.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, more than 30 countries depend on Russia and Ukraine for about 30 percent of their wheat imports.
Ukraine and Russia are the main sources of grain supply for European countries. Europe meets 30 percent of its food needs by importing grain from these two countries.
Wheat production in Ukraine and Russia has increased over the past few years. Russia leads the world in wheat imports, while Ukraine is close to third.
Russia's navy has blocked access to key Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, preventing Ukraine from importing 25 million tonnes of grain lying in various ports or fields.
Ukraine has supplied some of the grain by rail or road, which is still six times less than the supply from the sea.
On the other hand, China is not ready to release wheat from its reserves while India has imposed a partial ban on its import.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, global wheat production will reach about 775 million tonnes from 2022 to 2023, down 4.5 million tonnes from last year.
