Interrupted wheat supplies from the world’s ‘bread basket’ will profoundly affect a region already in economic turmoil.
By Joe Stork, Responsible Statecraft
The crisis provoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is upending the global political order and underlying trade structures.
A good part of the trade disruption stems from the leading roles of Russia and Ukraine as exporters of wheat and other food staples. According to the U.N. Trade and Development Agency, the two countries account for 27 percent of wheat exports and 53 percent of sunflower oil and seeds worldwide. Russia is also a key global supplier of fertilizers and hydrocarbons.
The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization has expressed concern that the war will disrupt Ukraine’s spring harvest and planting season, with consequences for global grain supplies beyond the coming few months. Rising costs for importing food and fuel will affect household as well as national budgets already stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The military conflict has largely cut off Ukraine’s access to its Black Sea ports, and the Ukrainian government banned grain and other food exports in early March to ensure domestic supplies. The country’s limited rail capacity to export overland has been further impaired by the demands of war mobilization. The fighting threatens to interfere with Ukraine’s spring planting season, impacting the labor and resources available for food production over the medium term. For Russia, heavy and comprehensive financial and trade sanctions have disrupted its ability to export and import. And the Ukraine war erupted at a time when food prices were already climbing as a result of rising energy, and thus fertilizer and feedstock, costs.
Recent Posts
A Letter To Joe Biden
November 28, 2023
Take Action Now “You enable massive death and destruction. Your position and that of the Democratic Party turns my stomach.” By David Barsamian…
If Donald Trump Wins Next Year, Don’t Blame The Voters. Blame Joe Biden.
November 28, 2023
Take Action Now It’s the job of politicians to appeal to voters. Right now what Joe Biden is selling is two wars and an economy that isn’t working…
Trade Unions Fight Against Argentina’s Privatization Under Milei
November 28, 2023
Take Action Now Argentinian President-Elect Milei is moving to privatize energy… and everything else. by Trade Unions for Energy Democracy…
The Labor Movement’s Stalwart Support For Israel Is Shifting
November 28, 2023
Take Action Now The U.S. labor movement has a decades-long history of supporting Israel wholeheartedly, punctuated by moments of pro-Palestine…