Food politics

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called on the Western countries to take steps for meeting the expectations of Russia for the resumption of the grain deal and informed that Ankara is intensifying its contacts with Moscow.

The European Union is considering a proposal for the Russian Agricultural Bank to set up a subsidiary to reconnect to the global financial network as a sop to Moscow, the Financial Times said on Monday.

With the bank under sanctions, the move aims to safeguard the Black Sea grain deal that allows Ukraine to export food to global markets, the newspaper said.

A total of 32 million tons of grain has been transported through the grain corridor established in an effort to mitigate potential food crises arising from the Russia-Ukraine war, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has announced.

Global food prices fell in December for the ninth month in a row, but nevertheless rose 14 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year to record levels, the World Food Organization (FAO) reported to the United Nations, cited by "Reuters".

World food prices have fallen for a fifth consecutive month, partly thanks to the resumption of exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports, a UN agency said on Sept. 2.

Sharp price increases in Europe and around the world compared to a year ago

Prices in popular cities worldwide

Two U.N. food agencies have issued stark warnings about multiple, looming food crises on the planet, driven by climate "shocks" like drought and worsened by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine that have sent fuel and food prices soaring.

The embargo against Russia is considered one of the factors behind high food prices

World food prices fell slightly last month after hitting a record in March but remain high due to the Ukraine war, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said on May 6.

International sanctions against Russia as well as export flow disruptions resulting from the February 24 invasion have sparked fears of a global hunger crisis.