Tunisia faces starvation if Russia-Ukraine war continues

An expert in food security has said that Tunisia is threatened with starvation if the Russia-Ukraine war continues, Radio Med has reported.

According to Salim Bousbah speaking on the fringe of the Tunisian-European Cooperation Forum, the consequences of the war include major disruption in the global food market, especially regarding supplies of wheat. Tunisia, he pointed out, has very little land dedicated to growing wheat.

“The unavailability of foodstuffs in the market at the required quantity is not behind the threat of starvation,” explained Bousbah. “The reason is that people on low incomes simply cannot afford to pay the inflated prices resulting from the reduced supply of essential items.”

He stressed the fact that the support fund that has been relied upon since the seventies will be affected and will no longer provide enough food for the people of Tunisia.

The expert called on the Tunisian authorities to invest in the agricultural sector, which he confirmed represents a secure source of produce in the country. “It is possible to achieve self-sufficiency in durum wheat and dispense with soft wheat or liberalise its prices,” he added.

UN: Ukraine, Russia production critical to restoring global food security