The cessation of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea could provoke a global food disaster, which in turn will lead to hunger, mass migration and political instability in the world. This was warned by the Executive Director of the UN World Food Program David Beasley, writes The New York Times..

The publication explained that storage facilities in Ukraine are overflowing with grain, which in a normal year helps feed 400 million people worldwide.. However, the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has disrupted the supply chain: ports cannot operate normally due to the proximity of hostilities..

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He came to Ukraine for a four-day visit, during which he studied how to deliver food to about a million Ukrainians in regions occupied by Russian troops, and also investigated the broader threat to global food markets..

According to him, the key to supplies is access to the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk, Yuzhny and Nikolaev, which may be closed due to the expected offensive of the Russian army..

Executive Director of the UN World Food Program addressed the Kremlin by phone and in writing, laying out his concerns, but the parties "

" Because the whole world will pay a price if we don't open the ports,"

He also noted that due to the combined impact of wars, droughts and the Covid-19 pandemic, about 45 million people in 38 countries could face hunger.. And rising prices for food, fuel and shipping due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine will increase this figure and limit the ability of the UN to help people.

Beasley says UN food program operating costs up $71 million a month. He explained: "

However, he added that the financial problem is short-term.. Executive Director of the UN World Food Program called on rich countries and the world's billionaires to help close the $8 billion funding gap.

A more worrisome threat is a long-term challenge to global food markets, says Beasley. He noted that Ukrainian farmers could still harvest crops that would help feed the hungry in the world if the war ended now.. But this will not be possible if Ukrainian ports and shipping lanes in the Black Sea are blocked by Russian invaders..

With this in mind, Beasley urged G7 leaders and other governments to start developing unused agricultural land to compensate for the possible interruption of food supplies from Ukraine and the Russian Federation.. However, he warned that a shortage in the global food market and a sharp rise in food prices would lead to disaster in poor countries..

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Earlier, the UN World Food Program called for access to the encircled cities of Ukraine..