Ukraine crisis: Jaishankar reiterates India's readiness to address global food shortage
New Delhi, April 26: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar has said that India is willing to step in to mitigate the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine that has resulted in the emergence of several challenges, including the shortage of food stocks.
Speaking at an international conclave in New Delhi on Tuesday, the minister stated, "As I said, one impact of the Ukraine war is energy prices but one sees in terms of food storage and food inflation. India can make difference by stepping in terms of exports of agricultural commodities, especially wheat."
Jaishankar further highlighted some constraints that India has faced in exports due to WTO limits on trading. "...This (impact of Russia-Ukraine conflict) is a very unusual situation and we hope the WTO can look at it in that manner."
Expressing India's willingness to the address the global food shortages, Jaishankar further said, "If we can contribute to alleviating the food shortages whether its government purchases, expanding the market, or helping the World Food Programme, I think this is a very big contribution that we are prepared to make."
The statement from India's EAM came after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that India is "carving out" opportunities from challenging situations as the world continues to face a surge in fuel prices and a shortage of food grains amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
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Last week, while addressing a press conference in Washington, Sitharaman had said that India is trying to find a market for its exports and provide meaningful assistance to end hunger.
The Finance Minister also said that she voiced her concern that countries like India which have the capacity to address the issue of food shortage have faced difficulties with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The UN has also said that food shortages are predicted in the next months, which is an immediate and worrisome finding.
It went on to say that the war is expected to significantly disrupt production for tens of thousands of small farmers who have chosen to remain in Ukraine.
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-PTC News
