Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a May Day ceremony in Düsseldorf that Germany plans to assist countries that may experience hunger as a result of the events in Ukraine.

« Now we have to be concerned that some people may go hungry, that some countries will be unable to purchase grain for their citizens… We will not forsake these impoverished countries; rather, we would assist them » the dpa news agency quotes Scholz as saying.

According to the chancellor, Ukraine’s potential to export as a key grain provider is now severely curtailed.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that global food prices grew by 12.6 percent in March, reaching a high not seen since at least 1990.

This was owing to a huge increase in the price of sugar and dairy products, as well as a record surge in the price of vegetable oils, cereals, and meat. Thus, in February, the price index for vegetable oils (sunflower, palm, soybeans, and rapeseed) increased by 23.2 percent, while grains increased by 17.1 percent, including wheat (19.7%), and sugar increased by 6.7 percent.

source: dpa.com