© Thinkstock UN
warns of global food shortage caused by coronavirus measures:
report
The
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned of global
food shortages caused by measures to stem the spread of the novel
coronavirus.
"The
worst that can happen is that governments restrict the flow of
food," Maximo Torero, chief economist of the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization, told
the Guardian.
Harvests
have been good and staple crops remain in demand, but a shortage of
field workers brought on by the pandemic and a move towards
protectionism - tariffs and export bans - could lead to problems in
the coming weeks, Torero said.
"All
measures against free trade will be counterproductive. Now is not
the time for restrictions or putting in place trade barriers. Now
is the time to protect the flow of food around the world,"
Torero added.
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Some
countries have begun to protect their own food supply by
restricting exports, which Torero said could lead to an overall
decrease in trade and a subsequent decline in food production.
"Trade
barriers will create extreme volatility," warned Torero.
"[They] will make the situation worse. That's what we observe
in food crises."
Another
measure that could threaten the world's food supply is that nations
have issued "stay at home" orders at varying levels of
enforcement. If agriculture workers are legally unable to harvest
crops, it could cause a lapse in food flow.
"Coronavirus
is affecting the labour force and the logistical problems are
becoming very important," said Torero.
"We
need to have policies in place so the labour force can keep doing
their job. Protect people too, but we need the labour force. Major
countries have yet to implement these sorts of policies to ensure
that food can keep moving."
However,
American food supply experts, including Department of Agriculture
Secretary Sonny Perdue, have warned that Americans should not be
concerned about immediate food shortages. Grocery stores in the
U.S. have been bombarded with customers racing to stock up on
produce, nonperishable items and paper goods amid the coronavirus
outbreak.
"This
is a demand issue, not a supply issue," Heather Garlich, vice
president of media and public relations at FMI, the food industry
association formerly known as the Food Marketing Institute, told
Politico.
"The supply chain isn't broken. The warehouses are pushing out
as much inventory as possible in a 24-hour period."
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