“This war affects much more than Ukraine,” he added.
“Grain prices have already surpassed those of the early Arab Spring and food riots of 2007-2008,” he said, adding that the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s World Food Price Index Agriculture (FAO) “is at its highest level ever recorded.”
“We must do everything possible to avoid a famine hurricane and the collapse of the global food system,” Guterres stressed.
In total, “45 African and least developed countries import at least a third of their wheat to Ukraine or Russia; 18 of these countries import at least 50%. This includes countries such as Burkina Faso, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon , Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen,” Guterres said, again calling for a quick end to hostilities.