Jointly Addressing Global Food Security Challenges Ports | Agreement | Global

On June 20, farmers held hybrid rice grains in the field in Kihanga County, Bubanza Province, Burundi. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Han Xu

Since the beginning of this year, global food prices have been rising due to factors such as global economic weakness, frequent regional conflicts, and extreme weather events. According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, global rice prices have reached their highest level in 11 years since July, and there is a further upward trend. Many people are concerned that the global food security crisis may worsen again.

Rising prices of major grains

On July 17th, Russia announced the suspension of the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Black Sea ports, which has attracted widespread attention from the international community.

Since the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis in February 2022, agricultural exports from Russia and Ukraine via Black Sea ports have been disrupted. On July 22, 2022, under the mediation of Türkiye and the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on the export of agricultural products from Black Sea ports to ensure the smooth access of their food and fertilizer to the international market. The agreement was extended three times in November 2022, March and May of this year, and expired on July 17th.

The Black Sea Grain Transport Agreement affects grain imports from multiple countries. According to the United Nations, since its signing in July 2022, the agreement allows for over 32 million tons of grain commodities to be exported from three ports in the Black Sea of Ukraine to 45 countries and regions. UN Secretary General Guterres referred to the agreement as the lifeline of global food security. At a time when food production and supply were disrupted by factors such as geopolitical conflicts, climate change, and energy prices, the agreement had helped to reduce food prices by over 20%.

The Russian side's refusal to extend the agreement this time has stirred up the global food market. After the news was released, prices of major global grains such as corn, wheat, and soybeans have all risen to varying degrees. The International Monetary Fund predicts that Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea port agricultural export agreement may lead to a 10% to 15% increase in global food prices, and the organization says it is still evaluating the situation.

At the same time, factors such as extreme weather are increasing the uncertainty of food production. Affected by the El Ni ñ o phenomenon, Southeast Asia has experienced sustained hot and dry weather since April this year. Major rice exporting countries such as Thailand and Vietnam have lowered their expectations for rice exports this year. International rating agency Fitch believes that global rice production may hit a 20-year low in 2023.

Drought not only leads to a reduction in grain production, but also provides support for a significant increase in grain prices. Since the beginning of this year, events related to severe weather have pushed up the prices of some agricultural products. For example, sugar and cocoa futures have risen by more than 20%, and due to the impact of feed prices, the prices of livestock such as pigs and cows have also risen significantly. The prices of beef products in the United States have risen by over 30%.

The grounding of the Black Sea grain transport agreement and the impact of extreme weather events are just a microcosm of the current global food security dilemma. Fleischer, Director of the World Food Programme's Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe region, said that the world is facing the most severe food security crisis in modern times. The World Food Programme predicts that over 345 million people worldwide will be in crisis level food insecurity by 2023, of which 43 million are just one step away from famine. The organization provided food aid to over 158 million people worldwide last year, more than any previous year.

The food system urgently needs transformation

"The global food system has' collapsed ', and vulnerable groups have paid the price. It is necessary to change the way food is produced and consumed." Guterres recently issued a warning.

The international community generally believes that the main crux of the current global food crisis lies in the uneven distribution of global food, with huge disparities in food resources between different countries and regions.

In the past few decades, nearly 80% of global grain production has been concentrated in more than a dozen countries. The relatively concentrated supply and demand pattern of exporting countries and importing countries makes the international food market highly susceptible to factors such as epidemics and geopolitical conflicts, increasing the level of food insecurity.

Since last year, due to the impact of geopolitical conflicts, the instability of "world granaries" such as Ukraine and Russia has disrupted the fragile balance of the global food supply chain; The United States has repeatedly increased sanctions against Russia by its allies, seriously hindering food production and exports from Russia and Ukraine, and exacerbating global food supply chain blockages; World food trade giants, mainly American companies, manipulate international food prices and repeatedly seek huge profits by hyping up food security issues.

Under the continuous influence of multiple factors, the supply chain connecting global food production and demand has been repeatedly interrupted, and the international cooperation mechanism to ensure the smooth flow of the supply chain has been hindered. As a result, global food prices have skyrocketed, and many countries highly dependent on food imports can only sigh at the sight of food.

The issue of food security is not only related to food rations, but also to the development of the world economy and the stability of regional countries. The report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations proposes that the global rise in food prices has a greater impact on low - and middle-income countries. The increase in imported energy and fertilizer costs may force some countries to reduce inputs, leading to a decrease in agricultural productivity and a decrease in domestic food supply. This further deepens the possibility of food and energy crises in these countries.

Faced with various severe tests, the existing global food system is difficult to operate reasonably and effectively, and promoting the transformation of the food system is imperative. Recently, at the United Nations Food System Summit, representatives from all sides called for the construction of a more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food system. Qu Dongyu, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, stated that efforts to transform the global agricultural and food system involve multiple sectors such as agriculture, climate crisis, biodiversity, trade, and nutrition. Countries need to increase coordination efforts, make governance processes and policies coherent and coordinated, combine short-term and long-term, and actively seek solutions together.

Collaborative action is urgent

At present, the ongoing controversy over the Black Sea grain transport agreement is further exacerbating global food security risks. It is urgent for countries to work together to streamline the global food supply chain, unblock various bottlenecks and breakpoints.

It is worth noting that Russia has not fully closed the door to renewing the agreement. From the demands put forward by the Russian side, it can be seen that they hope to lift numerous restrictions on their banking, transportation, and insurance, as this has had a serious impact on their trade beyond food and fertilizers. Some analysts believe that the current stage is the most divergent among all parties since the signing of the Black Sea Port Agricultural Products Export Agreement one year ago. On the basis of the lack of basic mutual trust between Russia and Ukraine, as well as between Russia and the West, it is currently difficult for all parties to calmly seek solutions around their differences.

The international community is working hard to find opportunities to mediate and hopes that the renewal of the agreement for the export of agricultural products from the Black Sea port can usher in a transition. Guterres recently mentioned this matter and stated that the United Nations will continue to be committed to finding a solution. Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that he would continue to rescue the agreement on the export of agricultural products from the Black Sea port and hoped to have an interview with Russian President Putin on the contents of the agreement.

Recently, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that China hopes that the package agreement on grain transportation in the Black Sea will continue to be balanced, comprehensive, and effectively implemented. China has proposed an international food security cooperation initiative and is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with all parties in this regard, promote the formation of more international consensus, and make positive contributions to ensuring world food security.

As a positive force in maintaining world food security, China has proposed the "China Plan" and taken the "China Action" to address global food issues. In 2021, China proposed a global development initiative to include food security in eight key areas of cooperation; In 2022, China proposed the International Food Security Cooperation Initiative, proposing eight suggestions on establishing commodity partnerships and maintaining global food security, providing a "Chinese solution" to solve the food problem.

Carry out agricultural cooperation with over 140 countries and regions; Promote more than 1000 agricultural technologies to developing countries, driving an average increase in crop yield of 30% to 60% in project areas; Through international training courses, more than 14000 hybrid rice professionals have been trained in over 80 developing countries... China shares its development experience and applicable technologies with developing countries, conducts practical international cooperation, and actively helps developing countries enhance their food security capabilities.

"China's global development initiative, which includes food security as a key area of cooperation, is conducive to accelerating the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is also in line with the United Nations' vision of strengthening global cooperation and revitalizing multilateralism," said Alis Shabana, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

To address the challenges of global food security, major countries need to take responsibility, work together, and solve problems through cooperation. All parties should strengthen the supervision of multinational food and agricultural enterprises, build a more resilient and stable global food supply chain, and reduce the volatility and vulnerability of the global food system; Collaborate to provide global public goods, mitigate macro impacts on global food security such as geopolitical conflicts, extreme weather, and economic recession, and promote the development of a more just and reasonable global food security governance system. As emphasized in the report of the World Food Programme, the key to facing the food crisis lies in "how we can take more decisive actions and strengthen our ability to withstand future shocks.".