They say the war in Ukraine is the problem.
State Department Special Envoy for Global Food Security Cary Fowler said that food prices will remain elevated for years due to the war in Ukraine and other inflationary factors.
“We are dealing with a number of issues that are having an impact on inflation, that are not issues that can be easily resolved,” Envoy Fowler said. “I think we’re dealing with a multiyear crisis, and we ought to plan in that regard.”
The blockade by Russia of Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea has taken one of the world’s largest food providers of the international market as part of Russia’s plan to leverage against Ukraine and the Western powers that support it. That has contributed to food price increases worldwide.
“When Russia invaded the Ukraine, we were already in the midst of what we probably could have called a world food crisis anyway,” Mr. Fowler told the Atlantic Council’s European Union-US Defense & Future Forum in Washington. “When you look at the current acute crisis that we face, you have to say to yourself and you have to get into the mindset that this is a three-year crisis.”
“At least in the food space, we’re dealing with a number of issues that are having an impact on inflation, that are not issues that can be easily solved snap of a finger,” he said. “When dealing with climate change. We’re dealing with COVID and supply chain problems, and we’re dealing with conflict. And we also have historically low grain stockpiles, and we’re in the high point of a cycle for fertilizer prices. So, if you really wanted to have a huge impact on food prices, you’d probably have to be dealing with all of those. And unfortunately, that’s rather difficult and can’t be done overnight.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Special Envoy Fowler to seek God’s direction as he monitors and reports on global food security.
- For wisdom for the president and his advisors on food stability, production, and supply chains.
- For USDA officials as they provide agricultural programs and incentives in the country.
Sources: Washington Examiner, State Department
