does Europe depend on Russia and Ukraine for its wheat?

The war in Ukraine is disrupting agricultural markets around the world. To avoid running out of food, it is necessary to better distribute the world production of cereals according to Emmanuel Macron, but also “produce more“. So, is it absolutely necessary that Europe produces more cereals? With the war, it is true that almost nothing leaves the ports of southern Ukraine, and Russia exports less. However, these two countries account for 30% of wheat exports worldwide.

However, the European Union does not depend on this wheat. “Dependency, it is at the level of corn and mainly at the level of sunflower“, explains Jean-François Loiseau, president of Intercéreales. The European Union is therefore dependent on Ukraine, but for livestock and not for human food. Moreover, two thirds of cereal production in Europe is also used to feed animals.By eating less meat and dairy products, and by fighting against food waste, a larger part of cereal production could be redirected to human food.