Russian Grain Exporters Union publishes data on global food accessibility

MOSCOW. June 21 (Interfax) - The Russian Union of Grain Exporters has begun to publishing information graphics on global food accessibility.

"Due to strong public interest, the union is launching open publication of infographics reflecting the dynamics of food accessibility in the world. Data from the UN World Food Program (WFP) are used as a source," the association's CEO, Eduard Zernin told Interfax.

He said "world hunger is one of the hottest topics being discussed in the world," and this issue "occupied a key place in discussions at the Russian Grain Forum that took place in Sochi at the end of May." The "outlook for supplying the world's population with food" was also discussed at the recent St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, he added.

Citing WFP data, Zernin said that the problem of food security is particularly acute in ten of the observed countries, as less than half of their populations have enough to eat. Many of these countries are in Africa, including Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Somalia, South Sudan and Burkina Faso.

Zernin said the data will be updated monthly with commentary from experts.

The number of people going hungry in the world totalled 820 million in 2021, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization. Their number increased by almost 120 million in pandemic-hit 2020.