OREANDA-NEWS  The discriminatory policy of Western countries will only worsen the problem of hunger and food security in the world, Russia continues to supply food and fertilizers, although sanctions against it have disrupted the usual course of things, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramenko said in her telegram channel.

Between 691 and 783 million people worldwide faced the problem of hunger in 2022, which is 122 million more than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a United Nations report released on Wednesday. "Unfortunately, these data confirm the conclusions of our experts that the problem of hunger and food security in the world will only worsen. This is due to the discriminatory policies of Western countries," Abramchenko said. She noted that the poorest inhabitants of the planet, mainly from African countries, cannot afford to buy enough food, especially in the face of rising food prices. At the same time, thoughtless sanctions policy and logistical restrictions are added to the jumps in world food inflation in 2020, "caused by monetary emission in Western countries and a reduction in harvest due to drought in a number of countries."

In addition, the usual course of things was violated by sanctions against Russia, one of the largest suppliers of food and fertilizers. But despite this, Russian food and fertilizers are in great demand in the world, "and we will continue to export supplies, but it is obvious that they have become more expensive for the end consumer."

"Over the past 10 years, we have increased the volume of exports of agricultural products by 2.5 times. I would like to emphasize that Russia remains a stabilizing supplier of food in the world, but not to the detriment of the domestic market. Our priority is the domestic market. And we completely cover our needs. But we export the surplus, first of all, to our friendly partners. The share of exports of the Russian agro-industrial complex to friendly countries has already exceeded 85%," Abramchenko recalled.