A plague of policymakers returns hunger to the world (Reason)

Reason published an article on how lockdowns, trade disputes, and warfare make the next meal once again a matter of concern. Governments can’t be blamed for all of the world’s ills, but they have a remarkable ability to create trouble where there was none before and to exacerbate preexisting problems. Food prices around the world were up in April by 29.8 percent over the already elevated costs seen in the same month last year. In typical political form, governments are cutting off trade in what food they have, threatening to make the matter worse. IFPRI currently counts 19 countries that forbid the export of some foods and another seven that require government licenses. Historically, these requirements tend to spread, the organization warns, as governments emulate their neighbors to secure domestic supply.  (See IFPRI’s  Food & Fertilizer Export Restrictions Tracker) IFPRI researchers Joseph Glauber, David Laborde, and Abdullah Mamun in their blog post, From bad to worse: How Russia-Ukraine war-related export restrictions exacerbate global food insecurity, write, “Export restrictions often had a cascading effect—when one country announced restrictions, others often followed suit, further exacerbating supply problems and creating a panicked atmosphere in global markets as importers sought to secure new suppliers, sending prices even higher.”