World Food Day celebration: TASS forum and Vesti FM broadcast
World Food Day (WFD) is observed annually on October 16 to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945. On the eve of the celebration day, the FAO Moscow Office held a press conference at the press centre of its partner, the TASS news agency, which was attended by Oleg Kobiakov, Director of the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation, and Mikhail Balykhin, Rector of the Moscow State University of Food Production (MSUFP).
Well-known TASS journalist Victoria Kladieva acted as moderator.
“World Food Day 2022 is celebrated this year while the world community is facing multiple global challenges, including the ongoing pandemic, armed conflicts, climate change, rising prices and international tensions. All this has a negative impact on global food security,” Oleg Kobiakov noted in his speech.
“In 2021, the number of people affected by hunger reached 828 million, which is 46 million more than in 2020, and 150 million more than in 2019 before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, over 3 billion people on the planet still cannot afford a healthy diet.
Paradoxically, two-thirds of the people living in extreme poverty are in rural areas and depend mainly on agriculture, stressed the head of the FAO Moscow Office.
The pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities and made it harder to eradicate hunger. Updated forecasts suggest that 670 million people could be pushed into hunger in 2030, putting us further away from achieving SDG 2 on Zero Hunger!
Severe food insecurity is likely to exacerbate in 20 countries or areas, including two regional “pockets of famine”. As of June, approximately 750 000 people in five countries (Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia and South Sudan) are on the verge of starvation – this is five times more than in 2020!
The war in Ukraine, along with other ongoing conflicts in several countries around the world, the economic and energy crises, and the negative effects of climate change aggravate the already complicated situation. The Russian Federation and Ukraine rank among the world’s largest breadbaskets. Both countries are net exporters of agricultural products and are leading global suppliers of staple foods and fertilizers.
In 2021, both the Russian Federation and Ukraine were among the top three exporters of wheat, barley, corn, rapeseed and rapeseed oil, sunflower seed and sunflower oil.
The Russian Federation also ranked first in the world in the export of nitrogen fertilizers, and ranked second in the export of potassium fertilizers, and third in the export of phosphate fertilizers.
We need to urgently transform agrifood systems to make them more resilient, reduce their vulnerability and accelerate progress towards the SDGs. This transformation requires a focus on four main areas, which are also directly related to the priorities of FAO Member States.
Firstly, it is necessary to attract investment to the countries that are most in need, which have been severely affected by rising food prices and are vulnerable to food security. In order to increase the availability of food, we must pay more attention to local production; currently, only 8 percent of the total funding allocated for ensuring food security in emergencies is directed to supporting agricultural production.
Secondly, measures should be taken to simultaneously enhance labour productivity and protect natural resources. Investment is required both in physical infrastructure such as roads, irrigation systems, electrical systems and digital assets, and in value chains infrastructure such as warehouses and refrigeration units, as well as in banking and insurance services.
There is a need to increase investment in the development of innovation and new technologies, as well as in building on transparency in market information systems. Transparency in global markets is crucial during a period of uncertainty.
Thirdly, it is necessary to ensure a more efficient use of produced goods and production resources. We need to produce better products on a larger scale using fewer resources. What is required to achieve these goals? It is essential to apply modern technologies. Reduce food loss and waste – that alone could feed some 1.26 billion people a year. And also safeguard better use of fertilizers and plant protection products.
Finally, fourthly, one of the key complex factors contributing to the acceleration of such processes is science and innovation.
Agriculture is one of the conditions for ensuring long-term stability and security,” concluded the Director of the FAO Moscow Office.
Mikhail Balykhin, Rector of MSUFP, congratulated FAO on its 77th anniversary and World Food Day. In his speech, he outlined three global trends that the university administration observes, analyzes and takes into account in its daily work:
“The main trend, as the Rector emphasized, are the global issues of food security, nutrition quality, poverty reduction and equal access to food for the world’s population.” For this reason, young specialists in the field of agricultural technologies are among the most sought-after in the labour market.
“The second task, in addition to providing adequate quantity of food, is ensuring its quality. We must start with sustainable, conscious consumption,” said Mikhail Balykhin. “No less important is sustainable production, cost reduction, and on the top of all that the preservation and conservation of the maximum amount of raw materials and products. This is one of our research areas, to which we pay great attention.
The third trend is the food industry. This applies to everyone. We focus on veterinary support, because it is difficult to produce a high-quality product if initially there have been flaws and inaccuracies in production at the level of animal husbandry or crop production. Veterinary control is the first priority to be addressed. This includes, as the Rector explained, veterinary and sanitary examination, deep processing technologies and the principle of customized approach.”
Mikhail Balykhin also spoke about an important event, namely the Global Food Forum, that will be held later in October, at the University, with FAO Moscow Office active participation.
“This Forum will be different from the previous ones. It will be grounded on the idea of ensuring food security, and on the task of supplying food to remote territories, providing rear logistics and maintaining the quality of products in conditions of isolation and restrictions,” the Rector of the famous Moscow University of Food Production laid out the plans.
Further, Oleg Kobiakov answered several questions from the TASS moderator.
QUESTION: Today, it is impossible to talk about food security without touching on the issue of fertilizer production for the agricultural sector, Victoria Kladieva noted. Mr Kobiakov, what is the reason for the record rise in fertilizer prices? How do international tensions affect the availability of fertilizers? What impact will it have on the agrifood sector and agriculture on a global scale?
“ANSWER: As for agricultural inputs, fertilizers are among the most important ones, along with seeds and energy. A spike in prices for all categories of precursors is listed among the causes of the crisis.
Russian fertilizers have become economically and physically inaccessible in the global market due to the disruption of trade chains caused by sanctions and a sharp rise in energy prices – since natural gas is the feedstock for producing nitrogen fertilizers.
Technically, Russian fertilizers are not subject to sanctions. However, indirect sanctions, such as freight ban or restriction, ship calls, and money transfers related to payment for supplies, significantly complicate the situation and are a barrier that stops many traders and end buyers. The world may feel an acute shortage of fertilizers as early as next year, when the sowing season begins.
QUESTION: Could you elaborate on FAO’s initiative to support agricultural products-consuming countries and mechanisms for financing food imports?
ANSWER: FAO is committed to responding quickly to crises in agricultural economics. One of the measures suggested by the FAO leadership as a response to the food crisis was the creation of a fund to finance food and agricultural precursors imports. It was FAO Director-General Dr Qu Dongyu who came up with the initiative that is currently under development at the G7 and G20 meetings. If implemented, this measure will allow the current pockets of famine to be promptly neutralized and hunger due to crop shortages to be prevented in subsequent years.
QUESTION: How can FAO comment on the situation around the Black Sea Grain Initiative? How does FAO assess the situation and prospects?
ANSWER: The documents signed in Istanbul on July 22 clearly spell out the coordination mechanism. A Coordinating Centre has been established, which regularly publishes up-to-date information on its website. It can be used to estimate how many ships have left the ports, what kind of cargo is being transported, where they are moving and where they have unloaded. FAO monitors the overall situation with the dynamics of food prices. We state that the implementation of these agreements over the course of almost three months has had a favourable effect on the global situation. Prices for cereals and sunflower oil have stabilized, and they are even declining for separate items – besides, currently, it is harvest season. We at FAO expect this trend to continue.
The issue of Russian food and fertilizer exports remains. It is far from being resolved. There are secondary sanctions and restrictive measures. Many high-ranking representatives of Russia speak about it.
QUESTION: What are the prospects here? Will it be possible to reach an agreement?
ANSWER: There are certainly some prospects. Now, efforts to extend the grain initiative are personally led by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and his representatives. FAO continues to provide information and research assistance. The attention paid to this topic by the Russian leadership and relevant ministries is an indicator that everyone is aware of its importance, of its major role for global food security, and is determined to look for practical ways to address the issue.
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“The key to solving the complex tasks we face is cooperation,” said Oleg Kobiakov at the end of the press conference. “FAO looks forward to further cooperation with the Russian Federation through our sustainable, efficient, effective and well-coordinated partnerships to transform agriculture and food systems. It is time to work together and create a more sustainable future for all. Make World Food Day YOUR day.”
The speeches at the TASS press conference can be found in the recording (in Russian).
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On Saturday, October 15, FAO Moscow Office Director Oleg Kobiakov also spoke live on the leading federal radio station VESTI-FM on the weekly food and nutrition programme “From Mikoyan to Mamikonyan”. During the hour-long programme entirely dedicated to World Food Day, Oleg Kobiakov and radio host Valery Sanfirov discussed issues of food security and nutrition that are a source of concern to the Russian audience.
The broadcast can be listened to in the recording (in Russian).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Celebration events on the occasion of World Food Day (WFD) are held in more than 150 countries around the world. WFD is one of the most significant days in the UN calendar. This makes it possible to draw the attention of a wide range of stakeholders to the issue of famine and malnutrition, to mobilize the international community to achieve SDG 2 to end hunger and ensure sustainable development of the global agricultural sector.
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An update on the progress towards the 2030 Agenda as far as it concerns combating hunger is presented in the FAO State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2022 report.