Reuters published an article about how the Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens millions of tiny spring-time sprouts that should emerge from stalks of dormant winter wheat in the coming weeks. If the farmers can't feed those crops soon, far fewer of the so-called tillers will spout, jeopardizing a national wheat harvest on which millions in the developing world depend. Some Ukrainian farmers said their wheat yields could be cut in half, and perhaps by more, which has implications far beyond Ukraine. Many countries including Lebanon, Egypt, and Yemen rely on Ukrainian wheat. Egypt, which has become increasingly dependent on Ukrainian and Russian wheat over the past decade, heavily subsidizes bread for its population. “As the price of wheat rises, so will pressure on the government to raise bread prices,” said Sikandra Kurdi, a Dubai-based research fellow at IFPRI. Republished by WKZO.
