Global exports of basic commodities

Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine raised widespread international concern of a global food crisis similar to, or worse than, the one the world faced in 2007 2008. Russia and Ukraine are key agricultural players that, combined, export nearly 12 % of the food calories traded globally, and are major providers of basic agro-commodities, including wheat, maize and sunflower oil. Russia is also the world’s largest exporter of fertilisers (see Figure 1). Several regions are highly dependent on imports from these two countries to ensure their basic food supply: Russia and Ukraine, combined, supply over 50 % of the cereal imports arriving in North Africa and the Middle East, while eastern African countries import 72 % of their cereals from Russia and 18 % from Ukraine.