Russia's invasion of Ukraine is threatening the global food supply.
The big picture: The two countries combine for nearly one-third of global wheat and barley exports, AP reports. Ukraine is a major exporter of corn.
- Lebanon, Egypt and Syria are among the countries most dependent on affordable wheat. “Any [price] hikes will be catastrophic not only for me, but for the majority of the people," Ahmed Salah, an Egyptian father of seven, told AP.
- Supplies were already tight because of droughts hitting the wheat belts of North America, NPR notes.
European livestock farmers are heavily reliant on Ukraine for corn and other grain additives for animal feed.
Between the lines: This also threatens efforts to help famine-stricken countries like Afghanistan, Yemen and Ethiopia, the Financial Times reports.
The bottom line: Ukraine and Russia "account for about 12% of the calories the world trades," NPR reports.
