Pakistan urged to stop grain exports and save food for the people amid Ukraine supply chain threat

A farmers' lobby in Pakistan has advised Islamabad to stop exporting wheat and maintain its own stockpiles following possible shortages due to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The Sindh Abadgar Board, a Pakistani farmers' representative group based out of the Sindh region, said that war in Ukraine could upset the supply of wheat around the world, as reported by The Express Tribune.

Ukraine is one of the biggest producers of wheat and controls nearly 12 percent of the global wheat market.

Ukraine and Russia together combine for nearly a third of the world's wheat exports.

Moscow's actions are likely to disrupt Kyiv's exports and push up the international price of grain, just like they have already led to a huge rise in the price of oil and caused a global energy crisis.

The board pointed out that Islamabad needs to prevent Pakistan's wheat harvest from being smuggled out of the country.

"The government should ensure that the stocks remained within the country and that every effort is made to keep the strategic reserves," it said in a press statement, as reported by The Express Tribune.

Pakistanis are especially susceptible to any disruption in the supply of wheat given their wheat-based diets, and their country was one of the largest importers of Ukrainian wheat in 2020.

The Kremlin's horrific invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands and forced at least two million people to flee the country.

The war has led to a massive global energy crisis as countries scramble to find alternate sources of energy.

It is also a huge threat to food security, and a wheat shortage or a rise in the price of essential grains could plunge hundreds of thousands around the world into poverty.