THE WORLD IS THREATENED BY THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

Humanity may face famine due to the constant increase in the cost of food - this statement was made by the American TV channel CBNC. There are many reasons for this state of affairs, and these are not only natural disasters and dangerous viruses.

Experts note that there is still no shortage of food on a global scale, but the price of food has been constantly growing lately.

According to the UN data, the cost of food, which had increased since February 2020, reached its maximum at the end of August.

In particular, the rise in the cost of food in China has led to the necessity to think about saving food during the ongoing pandemic. The authorities of the Celestial Empire turned to the residents with an appeal to abandon consumer attitudes and try to conserve food.

Data from the PRC statistics department show an 11% increase in the food prices last month compared to the same period in 2019. Analysts note that this, in particular, could be influenced by the African swine fever spread in the PRC, which cut the number of livestock and led to a rise in the price of meat by 1.5 times. Climatic conditions in the form of heat and heavy rainfall exacerbated difficult situation with the supply of vegetables, the prices of which increased by 6.4%. What is more, the cost of chicken eggs increased by 11.3%.   

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the links in the food supply chain.

This is the state that predates the onset of the global food crisis. The huge losses suffered by farmers, as well as by the small businesses, which were forced to dispose of the unsold perishable food, were irreparable.

Many countries that previously actively accepted foreign labor force are left with ruins now. There was no one to pick the ripe fruits, since the flights were completely suspended. The supply of fertilizers and seeds for planting has been temporarily stopped as well.

The falling American dollar was the final blow.

As it weakened, the prices of food began to rise, since dollar is the main currency for its supply. Experts predict that the dollar will continue to collapse against the European currency throughout 2020. In such a situation, the idea of ​​the Chinese authorities to impose restrictions on food in restaurants will not seem unusual.