Africa’s hope was equal to the terrible food crisis that the continent is going through. Last week, at the announcement of the agreement between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN to unblock the port of Odessa, the African Union welcomed an agreement of “welcome” – the word was weak as the relief was great – The bombardment of the port of Odessa by Russia, a few hours later, showered the hopes of an entire continent.
Sergei Lavrov the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs took care of the delicate after-sales service. On tour in Africa this week he “reassure” its partners day after day. In Egypt, in the Congo, in Uganda, he has been repeating since Sunday that the “safe corridors” to export wheat through the Black Sea will be well established. This would allow the export of 20 to 25 million tonnes of wheat. Tens of millions of Africans in need “increased” of food.
By the end of summer, “40 million Africans will experience increased food insecurity“, estimates on RFI the head of the West Africa and Sahel sub-regional office for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
The continent depends on Russian and Ukrainian wheat. Some countries like Egypt import up to 85% of cereals. Consequently, in many African states, the price of rice and flour has increased considerably, sometimes up to 70%.
To cope with this shortage and fight against food insecurity, African countries are implementing measures. In Egypt, the World Bank which came to the aid with a check for 500 million dollars. In Côte d’Ivoire, the government has decided to cap the price of a central staple food: the baguette. It is now subsidized and is paid by weight.
Bread that is not always made from wheat. Today in Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, you can buy cassava bread or sweet potato bread. Local foods that are easily available and that help contain costs and reduce prices for consumers. On Facebook and relayed by social networks, the Cameroonian writer and political scientist Jean-Emmanuel Pondi, explains: “The local production of these foodstuffs, which our agricultural ecosystems also favor, would lead to enormous savings in the cost of our currencies. In addition, such an option would produce many jobs in Africa.”
Another solution would be to rely on the Europeans, and not on the Russians. Questioned by RFI, Philippe Chalmin, a specialist in raw materials, explains that if Europe puts in the money, we can bypass the port of Odessa. It would be necessary to invest in trains to transport Ukrainian wheat to the Danube at the border with Romania and then organize exports from the Romanian and Bulgarian European ports. This would mean turning our backs a little on Putin’s Russia – which has been deployed for several years on the continent in economic and security terms – and in Africa, some countries are not ready to do so, even for wheat.