Biden purchase millions of tons of grain for people in other countries in response to expected food shortages. However, his actions will drive up the cost of food further in the United States as a result.Â
Russia claimed that Black Sea ports were mined by Ukraine and the mines are now floating out into the Black Sea.
Russia’s main intelligence agency said several hundred mines had drifted into the Black Sea after breaking off from cables near Ukrainian ports, a claim dismissed by Ukraine which said it was disinformation and an attempt to close off parts of the sea.
The Black Sea is a major shipping artery for grain, oil and oil products. Novorossiisk Port Authority, in a note seen by Reuters, said that shipping was at risk in the western Black Sea.
Regardless of who planted the mines, the problem is that millions of tons of grain from Ukraine is not making it out of the country. The United Nations is calling for the ports to be opened in Ukraine to get the grain out.
The United Nations World Food Program has called for the re-opening of Ukrainian ports blocked because of the Russia-Ukraine war to address global hunger crisis.
Millions of metric tons of grain have been sitting in silos in Odesa and other Ukrainian ports, and more grain is stranded on ships due to the conflict, according to the U.N. agency.
The WFP has called for these ports to be re-opened so farmers will have a place to store the next harvest in July/August. Otherwise, it could go to waste, which will exacerbate the global hunger crisis.
“Right now, Ukraine’s grain silos are full,” WFP Executive Director David Beasley said in a statement on Friday. “At the same time, 44 million people around the world are marching towards starvation. We have to open these ports so that food can move in and out of Ukraine. The world demands it because hundreds of millions of people globally depend on these supplies.
“We’re running out of time and the cost of inaction will be higher than anyone can imagine. I urge all parties involved to allow this food to get out of Ukraine to where it’s desperately needed so we can avert the looming threat of famine.”
This past week the Biden Administration announced that it would provide $670 million in food assistance to foreign nations. Since this is being run by USAID, it is questionable how much of this will eventually make it to starving people around the world.
Today, the Biden Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are taking the extraordinary step to draw down the full balance of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust (BEHT) as part of an effort to provide $670 million in food assistance to countries in need as a result of Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The world is suffering from historic levels of global food insecurity, which is being exacerbated by the impact Russia’s war on Ukraine is having on global food supplies. Available estimates suggest an additional 40 million people could be pushed into poverty and food security as a result of Russia’s aggression.
This effort by Biden will however increase the costs of food in the United States as a result. Does Biden even consider these things or is this what he wants?
