Russia's main grain lobby group warned that Ukrainian drone attacks on ships and ports could soon lead to a complete blockage of Black Sea export corridors, potentially causing hunger in Africa and the Middle East.
The warning from Russia's grain lobby highlights the critical role of Black Sea exports in global food supply and the potential for escalating conflict to trigger widespread food insecurity, particularly in vulnerable regions like Africa and the Middle East.
Russia's primary grain lobby group has issued a stark warning that ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Russian vessels and ports in the Black Sea could soon result in a complete shutdown of grain exports through the region. The Union of Grain Exporters and Producers stated that these systematic attacks, which began in July, pose a direct threat to global food security, potentially leading to widespread hunger in Africa and the Middle East.
The lobby group estimated that the shortfall in Russian wheat supply for the current season could range between 30 to 35 million metric tons, representing approximately 15% of the total global wheat trade. They emphasized that alternative exporting countries would be unable to compensate for this deficit. Both Russia, the world's largest wheat exporter, and Ukraine, a significant agricultural producer, have been engaged in reciprocal attacks on each other's agricultural export infrastructure and commercial shipping in the Black Sea.