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The FDHRD issues a Report on the Impact of the Russian-Ukrainian War on Egyptian food Security

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Press Release
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Today, Sunday, April 3, 2022, the Unit of Researches and Studies at the Forum for Development and Human Rights (FDHRD) issued a new report entitled: (Repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian War on Food Security in Egypt).
The report emphasized that the war caused many global economic crises, such as the rise in oil and oil prices, and the countries that import products and foodstuffs from Russia and Ukraine were greatly affected in light of the two countries’ decision to stop the export of wheat and grains, given that they are the main exporters to the world.
Consequently, Egypt finds itself in a crisis regarding its food security in light of the population explosion and the constant pressure on resources and attempts to safely exit from the repercussions of the Corona pandemic, which puts weight on the government in providing this existing deficit in basic, supplementary and alternative foodstuffs, being the largest importer of wheat in the world.
The report addressed a number of themes, including:
Egypt in the Food Security Index
The report stated that the Egyptian state faces many challenges on the way to achieving food security and ensuring the right to food for all people. According to the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) of the Economist Impact Center, Egypt scored 60.8/100 and ranked 62nd out of 113 countries, with its affordability (66.5%), the food availability rate (60%), and the quality and safety ratio (60.7%), as indicated by the rate of natural resources and resilience (52%).
The report addressed the strengths and weaknesses in Egypt’s food security, in addition to internal and external challenges.

Repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian War on Global Food Security
The report emphasized that the war in Ukraine has significant implications for food security around the world by affecting global grain and energy markets, given the key roles of both countries in global food markets, and Russia in global energy trade. The conflict comes at a time of unprecedented humanitarian needs that are pushing millions closer to famine, 44 million people in 38 countries are on the brink of famine, and the conflict is expected to increase the global number of undernourished people by 8 to 13 million people per year. Next, most of them are in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by Africa.

Repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian War on Egyptian Food Security
The report stated that Egypt is considered one of the countries most affected by the Russian-Ukrainian war as a result of the direct connection to its food security, depending on the import of food grains mainly from the two parties to the conflict, where wheat imports represent about 62% of Egypt’s total wheat consumption. In other words, Egypt imports more than its average domestic production of wheat, which is a major food component, as it represents about 35% to 39% of the calories consumed by the citizen.
Limits of Egyptian Moves
The report mentioned several decisions taken by the Egyptian government in order to achieve food security, including: banning the export of some food grains during the next three months, including (gravel and crushed beans, lentils, wheat, and flour of all kinds, as well as pasta of all kinds), and providing a reserve of strategic commodities where recently the reserve ratios of wheat, rice, oil, sugar and legumes increased from 3 to 12 months.
The report concluded by emphasizing that these solutions may be a solution to the crisis in the short term, but the Egyptian government needs to find many alternatives and solutions to ensure a safe level of food security continuity.

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