Washington, May 19 (Agency) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States will commit an additional $215 million in additional emergency food assistance to help address global food shortages. “Given the urgency of the crisis, we’re announcing another $215 million in new emergency food assistance, and we’ll do much more,” Blinken said on Wednesday during remarks at the Food Security Ministerial at the United Nations. Blinken added that an additional $5.5 billion in humanitarian assistance and food security should be available if the Senate passes the $40 billion Ukraine aid package this week and sends to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
The United States has provided more than $2.3 billion in emergency food assistance since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Blinken said. According to Tomson Phiri, UN World Food Program spokesman, the situation in Ukraine may result in higher food prices and global hunger, as the Black Sea basin is one of the most important regions for production of grain and agricultural products. Given that Ukraine and Russia account for 30% of global exports of wheat, 20% of global exports of maize, and 76% of sunflower, any disruption in their production or supplies could lead to higher prices.