Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused a decrease in grain exports and wheat prices to reach record highs.
There is a wheat field in western Ukraine.
The country's agriculture ministry said Thursday that grain exports are down in May compared to the same time last year.
According to the United Nations, Ukraine was one of the world's breadbaskets for its agricultural production, accounting for 10% of global wheat exports in 2011.
The U.N. estimates that 20 million tons of grain are stuck in the country because of the war.
The head of the UN World Food Programme told CNN last week that the port blockades would cause millions to die if they continued.
The price of wheat rose to all-time highs this week after India restricted exports due to a heat wave, and the UN estimates a one-third jump in food prices globally in the last year.
The UN Secretary-General said Thursday that global hunger is at a new high.
Failure to open the ports in Ukraine will be a declaration of war on the world's food security. It is essential that we allow these ports to open so that the poor of the world can get food.
About 13 million. The UN children's humanitarian agency said Tuesday that there is a rise in the number of children suffering from severe wasting, a form of malnutrition that weakens immune systems.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ukraine is the fifth-largest exporter of wheat, the fourth-largest exporter of corn and the top exporter of sunflower oil and meal. Egypt is the top importer of Ukrainian wheat, and countries such as Lebanon and Pakistan get a majority of their wheat from Ukraine. About half of the World Food Programme's wheat comes from the country.
The coming food disaster.
The food price crisis in the Ukranian is a preview of what could happen with climate change.
India's heat wave-driven export ban has caused wheat prices to hit a record high.
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