WASHINGTON, 23 June 2022, (TON): According to Ramin Toloui, the US assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs “climate change is to blame for the global food crisis but the war in Ukraine and the pandemic have made it worse.”

Addressing the issue of global food shortages during a briefing, he said “the US government is working with global and regional partners to tackle the effects of the crisis, especially shortages resulting from the conflict in Ukraine.”

While acknowledging that the food crisis was already a concern before the war began, Toloui said the conflict has exacerbated the problem and is having a particularly significant effect on countries in the Middle East and North Africa because they import about half of their grain from Ukraine.

He added “through its Feed the Future Initiative, the US is working with countries around the world to increase food production and develop crops and seeds that are more resilient to climate change.”