Comment on India wheat export ban
ECIU's Matt Williams comments on India's wheat export ban.
By George Smeeton
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Commenting on the news that India has banned wheat exports due to food security concerns exacerbated by the country’s record-breaking heatwave and the war in Ukraine [1], Matt Williams, Climate and Land Programme Lead at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said:
“The climate change impact on farming is a death by a thousand cuts. A heatwave in India, a drought in France [2] and eroded soil from heavy rains in China [3] all add up to push even the concerning but manageable declines in Russian and Ukrainian wheat exports into potentially spiralling global prices.
“This moment has tragic echoes of the 2010 Russian heatwave which led to a wheat export ban, followed by a ‘once in a century’ winter drought in China and overly wet conditions in Canada. Surging prices of staple foods was one of the factors behind the Arab Spring unrest and protests.”[4]
Notes to editors:
1. India bans wheat exports, cites food security and soaring prices: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/14/india-bans-wheat-exports-cites-food-security-and-soaring-prices
2. Drought threatens hopes French wheat could ease Ukraine shortfall: https://www.ft.com/content/2322cca4-c17d-4668-8522-e9084f916ce5
3. War and Weather Sent Food Prices Soaring. Now, China’s Harvest Is Uncertain: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/11/business/china-wheat-food-prices-inflation.html
4. Climate Change and Rising Food Prices Heightened Arab Spring: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-change-and-rising-food-prices-heightened-arab-spring/
For more information:
George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: 07894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net