The Ukraine war hits agriculture particularly hard and affects the food supply. A shortage is expected in Germany.
Kassel – The current situation in view of the Ukraine war is not only getting worse in the countries of the conflicting parties. Also in the Germany are the effects of the escalated Ukraine conflict clearly felt.
Joachim Rukwied, President of the German Farmers’ Association, recently warned of a dramatic food shortage in the Federal Republic if agriculture were not given priority in gas distribution. “Without gas, no milk, no butter, no yoghurt,” Rukwied told the Rheinische Post on Friday (July 1).
date | from February 24, 2022 |
location | Ukraine |
Exit | constantly |
consequences | Rising energy and fuel prices, high food prices |
War in Ukraine: Food shortages threaten in Germany – gas must be prioritized
“We need to prioritize gas for the entire agricultural and food sector,” emphasized the farmer’s president. The current developments and the declaration of the alarm level of the gas emergency plan are causing him great concern, explained Ruckwied. “In order to ensure stable harvests, the availability of fertilizers is essential.” Farmers need gas to produce nitrogen fertilizer for this.
Should this only be available to a limited extent or should it cease to exist, “yields would immediately collapse by 30 to 40 percent,” predicted Rukwied. In order to continue to guarantee the food supply, the President called on the federal government to make a course correction. “Food security is not a matter of course,” he emphasized. Last week, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) declared the second crisis level in the gas emergency plan, the so-called alarm level, due to reduced Russian deliveries.
Impending food shortages in Germany – prices are rising
Meanwhile, consumers must continue to adjust to rising food costs at Aldi, Edeka, Rewe and Co. Almost every retailer wants to increase their prices for food and beverages, the economic research institute Ifo said on Friday based on a survey. “This means that inflation rates are likely to remain high for the time being,” said Ifo economics expert Timo Wollmershäuser.
Nevertheless, according to Wollmershäuser, there are first signs that the rate could gradually decrease over the course of the year. “Because the price expectations in some sectors of the economy whose production is upstream of consumption have fallen for the second time in a row,” said the Ifo economic expert. These include industry, construction and wholesale. (kas/AFP/dpa)
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