Miller Magazine Issue: 136 April 2021

30 MILLER / aprıl 2021 NEWS FAO Director-General QU Dongyu highlights the importance of keeping supply chains functioning amid COVID-19 pandemic in his address to FAO Committee on Commodity Problems. Open and transparent food commodity markets and efficient supply chains are paramount to ensure that ev- eryone has access to adequate, safe and nutritious food during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, FAO Direc- tor-General QU Dongyu said at the opening of the 74th Session of the FAO's Committee on Commodity Prob- lems (CCP). "The pandemic has resulted in a dual shock to food and agricultural markets, hitting both: supply and demand," Qu said. He pointed out that the measures introduced to control the virus caused disruptions to agri-food supply chains affecting the global trading system and, in partic- ular, the least developed countries that depend on trade for their food security. Referring to the pandemic as "an astonishing wake- up call on the fragility of our agri-food systems and the vulnerabilities we face," the Director-General stressed that the current crisis also provided an opportunity to re- double and refocus global efforts to build back better. "It made it clear that business-as-usual is no longer a viable option, and that we must change our food consumption and production patterns," the FAO chief said alluding to the challenge of transforming global agri-food systems towards safer and more nutritious food for everyone, while ensuring environmental sustainability. Spike in global food prices In his remarks, Qu also expressed concerns about the spiking food prices, registering their ninth consecutive monthly rise in February and reaching their highest level since July 2014. He said it would make it difficult for many countries to pay their food import bills, with potential im- plications for food security and nutrition, especially for the most vulnerable and poor. Despite a crucial role trade plays in providing the va- riety and availability of foods to consumers, the Direc- tor-General also warned about certain risks it poses. He highlighted that trade liberalization must be accompa- nied by measures to ensure that farmers and workers that are adversely affected by import competition are covered by adequate social protection programmes and have access to technical support to build capacity to im- prove their productivity. COVID-19 impact on commodities During the opening session, FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero Cullen provided additional insights into the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on various agri- food commodity markets and trade. He said that moni- toring of market and policy responses to COVID-19 has proved that agri-food systems are more resilient than oth- er sectors of the economy. Global food markets remain well supplied and prospects are favourable, at least for basic foodstuffs. However, he stressed that the problem was more about the access to food rather than its avail- ability. Torero said that the global economic contraction triggered by the pandemic resulted in increasing unem- ployment rates and an overall reduction in incomes and purchasing power, forcing people to switch to cheaper, less nutritious diets. Transparent and open food commodity markets are vital for food security and nutrition