WTO Chief Warns West Asia Conflict Poses Grave Threat to Global Food Security

Kathmandu. World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has warned that the ongoing conflict in West Asia poses a serious threat to global food security, appealing for worldwide supply chains to remain open. She made these remarks while speaking to journalists in Geneva on Thursday.

“The high energy costs resulting from the West Asia conflict reduce supply, increase the cost of chemical fertilizers, and ultimately endanger global food security,” she said. “A prolonged disruption in supply can create ripples in the food system, motivating farmers to use less fertilizer and plant less productive crops.”

Iweala stressed the necessity of keeping global food trade routes open and making supplies predictable, further stating that food supplies must flow to where they are most needed.