Most of the world’s grain is not eaten by humans
Nearly half of all grain is either burned as fuel or eaten by animals
The yellow and blue of Ukraine’s flag evokes the country’s bountiful wheat beneath a cloudless sky. Today, smoke from artillery has turned the skies grey. Tractors have been hauling heavy weapons, not grain, and a Russian naval blockade has prevented past harvests from reaching their destinations. The loss of this output has caused already high grain prices to surge. The World Food Programme warns that 47m people are at risk of hunger as a result.
This article appeared in the Graphic detail section of the print edition under the headline “Against the grain”
From the June 25th 2022 edition
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