The threat of food shortages

Source:  eKathimerini.com

Persistently high temperatures and dry conditions are raising the prospects of food scarcity in Europe. The weather conditions are affecting major producers of wheat, corn, olive oil and fruit.

Sicily has become a flashpoint for this crisis, with much of wheat production under threat, animal feed severely affected and water supplies at a critical low. Sicilian farmers told The Associated Press that, if these conditions persist, they will have to sell off their animals. The island, the Mediterranean’s largest, plays an outsized role in the production of the kind of wheat used for Italian pasta, with 20% of Italy’s hard wheat grown there.

Also hit hard, in Sicily and elsewhere, is fruit production, with higher prices reflecting the new reality. If weather conditions persist, the danger that the island will turn from a bread basket to a net importer of foodstuffs is very real, experts warn.

But hot and dry conditions are affecting the whole of the Mediterranean, and beyond. Not only are traditional olive oil producers, such as Greece, Italy and Spain see their production threatened, but so are other olive growers, such as Romania. This country’s corn and sunflower production is also facing critical threats, with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius. The Romanian government has warned that, in that case, the country will also face power outages.

Extreme heat conditions have also affected neighboring Ukraine, which is also dealing with the ravages of war. Production and exports of wheat, already affected by the war, have been further affected by temperatures reaching 38 Celsius; wheat production is said to have declined by at least 20 percent and as much as 30 percent.

The ravages of the climate crisis, of course, reach beyond Europe, affecting more staple products, such as coffee.

But, there are also global winners from the prevailing weather conditions. A major one is India, where heavy rains are expected to boost rice and soya production.

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