MINSK, 20 May (BelTA) – The situation with food supply is generally good in the world. Problems are attributed to the aftermath of the lockdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Anton Dudarenok, an analyst with the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR), said during a discussion dedicated to food security as part of the Expert Community joint project of BelTA and the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR) on 20 May.
“The last year's harvest, staple foods are in good supply. The problem is in logistics, in social and economic consequences of quarantine and restrictive measures,” the expert believes. He cited the global coffee market as an example. “Colombia, Brazil are among the four leading coffee suppliers. They are facing shortages of manpower because of the coronavirus and related restrictions. People cannot get there. Hence, there is no one to harvest coffee. This will lead to the deficit and a surge in prices, the market will be destabilized. The problem is not only how to harvest coffee, but also how to deliver and sell it,” the analyst said.
Even before the pandemic began and before the economy went into recession, more than 820 million people around the world suffered from hunger. In 2020 their number is increasing and is approaching a billion. In this regard, Executive Director of the World Food Programme David Muldrow Beasley urged to prevent famines of biblical proportions as he addressed the UN Security Council in April. “If we use the UN terminology, the global agricultural, food market keeps facing all kinds of biblical plagues. Just like before, the locust destroys vegetation in 23 countries of the Middle East and Africa. Climate fluctuations and the climate change, interstate struggle for resources – this is what the humankind has faced many times before and is dealing with it now the way it can. However, the coronavirus has made the whole situation worse,” the expert said. Anton Dudarenok noted that the situation is the most alarming in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
