Ukraine conflict would affect food supply in Europe, Africa, says French president

Versailles [France], March 12: French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed concern that the conflict in Ukraine would affect food supply in Europe and Africa.
He was speaking at a news conference in Versailles on Friday, American broadcaster CNN reported on Friday [local time].
Macron said that the war has already destabilized Europe and it could be worse in 12 to 18 months.
Citing the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Marcon said that all the European leaders will do everything that is considered effective and useful to stop Russia in this path of aggression.
Meanwhile, the UN said that the war in Ukraine could increase the food price by 20 per cent and also would raise international food and feed prices by 8-22 per cent as the war also affected agricultural activities.
Moreover, if the war continues, the UN further predicted that 8-13 million more people would suffer from malnutrition in 2022-2023.
Russia and Ukraine are the key players in the global agricultural trade, as both the nations contribute a quarter of the world's wheat exports, at least 14 per cent of corn exports in 2020, and a joint 58 per cent of global sunflower oil exports in the same year, according to CNN citing analyses.
According to the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories, "As of March 11, Lutsk, Dnipro and Ivano-Frankivsk were shelled. The shelling of the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions continued. Due to blockade and shelling of Mariupol, 1,582 civilians died." (ANI)