Lukashenko: world is one step away from global food catastrophe

Belarus was ahead of all CIS countries in the Global Food Security Index last year, and it is able to feed itself and even others – as noted by the President at a solemn celebration of the leaders of the country’s agro-industrial complex

“Every ear is worth its weight in gold nowadays,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. “Look at what is happening in the world. Last year, 828m people (about a tenth of the world's population) were out of bread, while the number of people financially unable to provide themselves with adequate nutrition exceeded 3bn.”

According to the President, growing food prices played a significant role in this trend. “The world is one step away from a global food catastrophe – for various reasons. These are not only climatic and geographical ones. There are countries that went back from their own agricultural production in the past, turning into sales markets of imported products. In the eyes of western curators, they now look more democratic than we do. Meanwhile, last year, Belarus was ahead of all CIS countries in the Global Food Security Index, and it is able to feed itself – and others as well,” he said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the country had a huge problem with bread provision. In Minsk, for example, there was enough flour for three days only, “However, a couple of decades later, over a hundred countries are buying Belarusian products. This year, export revenue will reach record levels: more than Br20bn.”