FAO: $85 billion damage to Ukrainian agriculture
The ongoing conflict has a devastating impact on the approximately 13 million people - out of a population of around 45 million - who work in the camps
2' min read
2' min read
There is a food security scare in Ukraine, while the estimated damage suffered by agriculture since the beginning of the war to date exceeds USD 85 billion.
Shining a spotlight on the bombed-out country is the FAO, after an inspection of the area's oblasts, on the eve of a crucial season for agriculture, in which the sowings that will determine next season's harvests are planned.
The ongoing war restricts access to land, due to landmines, and erodes farmers' purchasing capacity, making it effectively impossible to purchase the products needed to maintain production: seeds, fertilisers, storage and energy solutions. 'Without urgent and sustained support,' warns the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, 'thousands of rural families will not be able to sow or harvest in time, jeopardising national food security.
According to a recent joint World Bank, EU, UN survey, the Ukrainian agricultural sector has suffered USD 83.9 billion in damage since the beginning of the war, with a further USD 1.6 billion in the irrigation sector.
13 million farmers in trouble
This has a devastating impact on the approximately 13 million people - out of a population of around 45 million - who work in the fields. This silent army - which includes many elderly people - grows vegetables, raises cows and chickens on small plots of land, often under bombs, with no reliable power grids and limited access to markets and supplies.
