The EU's trade chief told CNBC that the EU and the US are looking at how to improve food supply chains with export restrictions from India and other nations.
The war in Ukraine is increasing the risk of a global hunger crisis according to the G-7 foreign ministers. The conflict in Ukraine is preventing a normal planting season and has prevented the export of grains, fertilizers and vegetable oil.
The reliance on nations from other parts of the world for these products has increased. Some countries are concerned about supplies for their own citizens and have imposed restrictions on exports. In India, a ban on wheat sales was announced to manage the country's food security.
Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU's trade chief, told CNBC Sunday about the new export measures.
As a response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine and a corresponding increase in food prices and concerns about food security, countries are starting to take export restrictive measures. This tendency can only make the problem worse.
He said that the measures, such as Indonesia's ban on palm oil exports, make matters worse.
Food costs are likely to go up because of limits on exports. This is a matter of food affordability for the EU.
The US and the EU are having talks in France on Monday about their joint Trade and Technological Council. The group was put together in order to reestablish ties after the trade tariffs and disagreements of the Trump era.
The work of the TTC has gone beyond its intended focus to incorporate and find solutions for current issues.
The first meeting was overshadowed by the U.S. agreement to sell nuclear submarines to Australia. The second gathering is dealing with supply shocks in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Margrethe Vestager, Europe's Competition Chief, said she never thought the TTC would discuss sanctions against Russia.
I didn't think this would happen. I thought the TTC would focus more on the other issues, like how to coordinate in standard setting organizations, how to make sure that we can create a coalition for people to be elected in organizations, how to work on the supply chains, and so on.
If we hadn't had the TTC, we would have had to invent it.
The EU's competition chief was once dubbed Europe's tax lady by Donald Trump. She says she has noticed a change in the relationship.
She said that things are different than they were six years ago.
She said that she thought Russia's invasion of Ukraine revived the transatlantic bond.
She said that it has made it clear that like-minded nations must come together.
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