Opinion: Stepping ever closer to world hunger

A month ago, a photo of a peasant household in one of the villages of northern Ukraine, liberated from Russian troops, was spread around social networks. It showed the occupiers had deliberately scattered grain over dirt so that it could not be used.

I have already talked about the huge losses suffered by Ukrainian farmers due to the occupation. Thousands of agricultural machines were destroyed or stolen. An estimated 15 per cent of the nation’s livestock has been destroyed. 

The theft and export of hundreds of thousands of tons of grain from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine also continues.

Dozens of cruise missiles fly into Ukrainian cities every day. Some of them are shot down but many hit the target, destroying infrastructure and killing civilians. It sounds strange, but we have become accustomed to air raid alerts.

In the first days of the war, when they heard the sound of a siren, my family hid in the cellar. Now we stoically perceive the possibility of a rocket arrival. After all, the air raid siren sounds several times a day. If you hide in the cellar every time, you will not be able to do everyday things, and it is possible that you will just go crazy.

In recent weeks, the choice of missile targets has changed markedly. Now these are mainly bridges, railway infrastructure, electrical substations and … granaries. A direct hit destroyed several large elevators filled with grain. Also, several warehouses were deliberately blown up, where thousands of tons of fertilizers were stored.

Given the blockade of Ukrainian seaports and the impossibility of exporting grain, we can talk about the deliberate destruction of the agricultural potential of Ukraine, which is also an attempt to provoke famine on a global scale.

Thank God, I’m not talking about the famine specifically in Ukraine. It produces significantly more grain than it needs to feed the population. As long as we have free regions, we will always have bread.

As well, many years of experience and memory of the artificial famine of 1932-33, as well as 1947, formed a cult of food supplies among Ukrainians.

These are not reserves in case of war. We have always lived like this. I remember from childhood numerous boxes of matches, candles, large packs of salt and mountains of stored firewood and coal. The desire to create reserves is the result of the sad experience of previous generations who saw both war and famine.

All these products are grown in our fields and orchards and also (grain) is bought from farmers. If the enemy does not break through to us, then Ukrainians will not die of hunger. We are ready for anything.

However, for the second month in a row, Ukraine is experiencing a severe shortage of fuel for cars. Gasoline and diesel fuel appear at gas stations every few days. Long queues of hundreds of cars immediately line up. Moreover, the price of fuel has more than doubled.

Late last month, I managed to pour 20 litres of gasoline into the tank. To do this, I had to arrive at the gas station at 5:30 a.m. and stand in line for almost six hours. 

Another new problem is that because of the shelling, the only kitchen salt production enterprise in Ukraine, and the largest enterprise in Europe, stopped its work. Accordingly, people began to buy salt and there was a shortage. Soda and vinegar have also risen in price and turned into a shortage.

Due to the Russian naval blockade, as well as destruction of Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure, people in other countries have received less than 20 million tons of grain. If we cannot export another 50 to 60 million tons from the next harvest, it will lead to famine in many regions of Africa and Asia.

NATO countries are already considering the issue of military protection of ships carrying Ukrainian grain. Hunger and rising food prices can cause great social upheaval that could affect both Europe and America.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is blackmailing the world with hunger, offering to exchange grain exports for the removal of economic sanctions.

There is another problem. Starting at the end of June and until August, wheat and barley ripen in Ukraine on an area of more than six million hectares. These are huge fields, ranging from 100 to 300 hectares, often located in remote areas. 

Even in peacetime, farmers must ensure that ripened crops do not catch fire from a tossed cigarette or from deliberate arson. But now everything is much more serious. 

I hate to talk about it, but there are still hundreds of Russian spies in Ukraine; citizens of Ukraine who have been recruited.

Some work for the aggressor for ideological reasons, dreaming of the revival of the Soviet empire. Some sabotage for the sake of money. 

But there is also a category of saboteurs who can be called random people. Sometimes they are teenagers who get an offer on social networks to earn $15 to $20 for indicating a target for shelling. It’s incredible, but these underage fools don’t think about the moral consequences of their actions. 

I talked to my 14-year-old son, just in case. Who knows what letters and offers he may receive on social networks? It is better for a father to warn his son in advance.

I talked about this in such detail because today, every farmer in Ukraine is preparing to protect his wheat. As soon as the fields turn golden, the threat of arson increases — from experienced saboteurs, asocial elements or even teenagers seduced by $15.

Our farmers are forming teams who will guard the wheat day and night. I am sure we will save our grain and find a way to get it to people in countries where there is a shortage of food. We all need this.

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– Ihor Pavliuk is a Ukrainian journalist.