African countries will pay higher prices for wheat and others could even face shortages in the coming weeks as the Russian war on Ukraine escalates.
“South Africa imports wheat from Ukraine and Russia but due to the ongoing conflict, we expect to see a wheat shortage, and oil prices have already gone up,” Dirk Kotze, a political scientist at the University of South Africa, told Anadolu Agency.
In a text message to Anadolu Agency, Wandile Sihlobo, the chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, said, South Africa will not face food shortage issues in the foreseeable future but prices of food will certainly go up.
South Africa imports mainly wheat and sunflower oil from Russia and Ukraine, he said.
“Over the past five years (2016-2020), South Africa imported an average of 1.8 million tons of wheat per calendar year, roughly half the annual wheat consumption needs. Of this, wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine averaged 34% and 4%, respectively,’’ said Shilobo.
The economist said that this year, South Africa has already imported 40% of its estimated imports of 1.5 million tons of wheat, while the remaining balance will be received from other countries at a much higher cost than the volumes already imported from Russia and Ukraine. This will cause a rise in wheat prices in South Africa.
According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, Russia and Ukraine are major global food producers and exporters.
Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, and Ukraine is the fifth-largest. Together, they provide 19% of the world’s barley supply, 14% of wheat, and 4% of maize, making up more than one-third of global cereal exports.
They also account for 52% of the world’s sunflower oil export market and Russia is a leading global fertilizer producer.
South Africa also exports products such as citrus, nuts, vegetables, and tobacco to Russia and Ukraine.
