The russian forces They have occupied about 22% of Ukraine’s farmland since the February 24 invasion, hitting one of the main suppliers to world markets for grains and edible oils, the POT Thursday.
Satellite data analyzed by scientists from the US space agency shows that the occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine gives Russia control of land that produces 28% of the country’s winter crops, mainly wheat, canola, barley and rye, and 18% of summer crops, especially corn and sunflower.
The interruption of harvesting and planting, the lack of labor and the bombing of the fields could have a strong impact on the world food supplyNASA scientists said.
“The breadbasket of the planet is at war,” said Inbal Becker-Reshef, director of the space agency’s Harvest program, which uses satellite data from the United States and Europe to study global food production.
According to US statistics, before the war ukraine supplied 46% of the sunflower oil traded globally, 9% of the wheat, 17% of the barley and 12% of the corn.
The Russian invasion blocked the exports of foods from Odessa, the main Black Sea port, and destroyed storage and transportation infrastructure in some areas.
“We are in the beginning stages of a creeping food crisis that is likely to affect every country and person on earth in some way,” Becker-Reshef said.
