The United States Agency for International Development, (USAID) has warned Nigeria and other African countries to brace-up for higher food prices, following recent developments that have temporarily halted Ukraines food exports to African countries.
USAIDs Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming, Isobel Coleman, who stated this on Thursday at a virtual press conference, said Russias decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative had already begun to trigger higher food prices around the world.
According to her, the impact of this food price hike would be more felt in developing countries that were import-dependent, and had conventionally relied on grain imports from Ukraine.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative was conceived to specifically allow for commercial food and fertiliser (including ammonia) exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, led to a complete halt of maritime grain shipments from Ukraine, previously a major exporter via the Black Sea. Additionally, Russia temporarily halted its grain exports, further exacerbating the situation.
This resulted in a rise in world food prices and the threat of famine in lower-income countries such as Nigeria, and accusation that Russia was weaponising food supplies.
According to a report by United Nations Comtrade, Nigeria imported about $500m worth of grain from Ukraine in 2021, showing the termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative inevitably spelt higher food prices.
Speaking further, Coleman said, USAID was already making plans to explore alternative means through which Ukraine could export its grain without the current hindrances surrounding the conventional maritime route (Black Sea).
She also noted that in the wake of the last food crisis which rocked global food security, the US government had made substantial investments via its Feed The Future campaign, to make developing countries more resilient to food crises.
