Ukraine, Iran-Gulf Conflicts Raise Food Crisis Risk, Jaishankar Warns
Andalib Akhter
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has warned that the continuing conflicts in Ukraine and the Iran-Gulf region could trigger a food crisis in the coming months, as disruptions to grain and fertiliser supplies put mounting pressure on economies in the Global South.
Addressing an Asia Society event, Jaishankar said interruptions in grain shipments from major exporting nations, particularly through the Black Sea, were emerging as a major concern for global food security. Fertiliser shortages could further compound the problem, he said.
The External Affairs Minister said the global energy market was already “very tight”, with oil supply disruptions and heightened geopolitical tensions adding to price pressures.
He said several major fertiliser-producing countries in West Asia and Russia had also been affected, while unfavourable climate conditions could further hit agricultural output. The simultaneous pressure on energy, food, fertiliser and financial markets was proving “very very stressful” for developing economies, he said.
Jaishankar also cautioned countries against pursuing policies solely in their own national interest if they risked aggravating difficulties for vulnerable nations. Such pressures could deepen instability across the Global South and constrain the ability of some countries to maintain strategic autonomy, he said.
He called for greater international attention to the basic needs and economic security of countries bearing the economic fallout of ongoing conflicts.