Billy Long: Ukraine's damaged bread basket

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

Everyone agrees on one thing and that is that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will impact the rest of the world. Ukraine is a bread basket and the war's impact on agriculture will be monumental. 

 Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of such things as wheat and corn. High fuel prices are also skyrocketing the costs of operating farms here in the United States. Because of this, the invasion of Ukraine could worsen already record high inflation when it comes to putting food on the table.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, Russia and Ukraine combined provide around 30% of the world’s wheat, 15% of the world’s corn, 30% of the world’s barley, and more than 70% of the world’s sunflower seed oil. Ukraine has become a battlefield, greatly impacting their agriculture industry, and Russia has rightly been sanctioned and cut off from global markets as a result of their repulsive actions in Ukraine. 

Most of Ukraine’s agricultural exports are through Black Sea ports that have been blockaded by Russia. This means that the trade of foods and products made in these countries has been limited since the invasion began.

While the United States buys very little of our food from Russia and Ukraine, the same is not true for our European allies. This puts added pressure on an already strained global supply chain, creating a ripple effect on food prices in the United States. Inflation is already at a 40 year high, and the invasion of Ukraine could worsen that crisis and raise the cost of food even more. And it’s not just the raw materials but also their finished products.

We’ve all seen another result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Gas prices, which were already increasing under President Biden, rose to record highs in the weeks following the invasion. This clearly hurts working families, but also increases the cost of growing and delivering our food. 

Fuel prices make it more expensive to transport food across the country, and that cost is passed along to the consumer. The cost of feed and fertilizer will go up exponentially and that too will have a huge impact on the cost of food.

All of this shows yet another reason why strong American foreign policy is important. When we project weakness on the world stage, there are consequences both at home and abroad. It’s important to care about what is going on in Ukraine, not just for the humanitarian crisis created by this invasion, but also for the impacts it has on the rest of the world. A stronger American foreign policy keeps our enemies in check, and that prevents these price increases from occurring.