Macron believes global food crisis to last longer than Ukraine war
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French President Emmanuel Macron says global food insecurity is expected to last for a lot longer than the Ukraine war.
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Cameroonian President Paul Biya shakes hands with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Yaounde, Cameroon, July 26, 2022 (Reuters)
The global food crisis will last longer than the war in Ukraine will, French President Emmanuelle Macron said from Cameroon on Tuesday.
"The war [in Ukraine] will last for a long time. And destabilization in the food market will last even longer... Therefore, we must continue to respond to this crisis situation. After all, in six, 12, 18 months, the consequences of the war will not disappear," Macron said.
The French leader's words came during a meeting on global food security in Cameroon, where he landed earlier today for the first leg of his three-legged African tour, where he earlier decried Russia's influence on the African continent.
Russia and Ukraine play a vast role in the international arena when it comes to wheat and grain exports. They account for an estimated 30% of global exports of wheat, 20% of maize, and 76% of sunflower.
Various organizations and countries have been calling for curtailing the rising food prices and delivering crops to regions facing acute food crises as soon as possible.
Cameroon is a very resource-rich country while also being a major food producer for Central Africa. Macron's delegation is seeking to invest in the country's agricultural sector to continue making money through Africa, the continent that carried Paris to where it is today through imperialism and colonialism.
Though they have avoided taking sides, African nations refused to join the West's stance on Moscow, not condemning the Ukraine war nor sanctioning Russia.
Russian Ambassador to Angola Vladimir Tararov said in May that the West was going so far as to exert pressure on African states that it is even resorting to immoral actions like threats.
World leaders have cited disruptions to supply chains, soaring prices, derailed crop production in one of the largest grain-producing regions in the world, and accused Russia of blocking grain shipments in Ukraine's Black Sea ports.
Russia has pointed out that the maritime mines planted by Ukrainian troops at the entry to the Black Sea ports have been preventing merchant ships from safely getting grain out of Ukraine.
