Posted on 04/04/2022 8:47:48 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A senior Russian government official has threatened to limit exports of agriculture products to “friendly” countries only amid sanctions from Western nations in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
Dmitry Medvedev, who previously served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of the country’s security council, took to Telegram on April 1 where he warned of the potential move.
Medvedev said that many counties depend on supplies of food from Russia, a major global wheat exporter, writing: “It turns out that our food is our quiet weapon. Quiet but ominous,” according to Breitbart.
“The priority in food supplies is our domestic market. And price control,” he continued.
“We will supply food and crops only to our friends (fortunately, we have a lot of them, and they are not at all in Europe and not in North America). We will sell both for rubles and for their national currency in agreed proportions.”
He then explained that Russia would not supply products and agricultural products to those countries it deems as “enemies.”
“And we won’t buy anything from them (although we haven’t bought anything since 2014, but the list of products prohibited for import can be further expanded),” he continued.
Russia previously imposed a ban on imports of certain agricultural products from the EU and other Western countries in 2014 after its annexation of Crimea.
Russia serves as a major global exporter of several commodities, including sunflower oil, barley, and wheat; the latter of which it mainly supplies to Africa and the Middle East.
It is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, having exported $10.1B in wheat in 2020 alone, despite the global COVID-19 pandemic and various supply chain issues.
The European Union and Ukraine are its main competitors in the wheat trade, which manifests as items such as pasta, bread, cereal, and fried foods for consumers.
A ban on exports of certain agriculture products to so-called “unfriendly” countries could put further pressure on those nations that are already bracing for potential food shortages resulting from the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent western sanctions.
Speaking of possible shortages, U.S. President Joe Biden said during a press conference at the White House on March 24 that “it’s going to be real,” noting that “the price of these sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia, it’s imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well.”
Biden said the United States and Canada may need to boost their food production to avoid shortages in Europe and other places.
However, it is unlikely that the United States would likely experience any significant shortages, whereas European countries that are more dependent on Russia for imports, as well as less economically developed nations, could see fewer products on supermarket shelves.
Medvedev’s remark comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin set a deadline for customers from “unfriendly” countries, which includes all member states of the European Union, to start paying for Russian gas deliveries in roubles or face being cut off.
Multiple European buyers of Russian energy have so far refused to comply with the demand. However, Slovakia’s minister of the economy on Sunday said his country is willing to do so.
Foods like wheat and soybeans are a commodity - there is one world price, based on worldwide supply and demand. By selling food to some countries, Russia is lowering the worldwide demand and therefore lowering the worldwide price of food for everyone.
But they were never that great at economics - it must be a legacy of the Soviet Union.
How is that war on Russia working out for the Biden regime and globalist now?
If we're not growing corn to burn up in our cars we could use those fields for growing wheat and soybeans.
Biden isn’t going to do anything that helps Americans. He’s ok with many of us dying.
That time, when in hindsight that Globalism thing suddenly was a bad idea.
No farmer who intends to stay in business would ever grow wheat as a cash crop on ground which is capable of growing corn.
“Methinks it might be time for our government to quit paying farmers to hold off on growing food (ostensibly we do that to keep from oversupplying the food market) and also quit forcing drivers to use ethanol in our gas.”
Both changes are long past due.
“We won’t sell X to unfriendly countries!”
(Some person sets up a company in a friendly country, buys a lot of X, and resells it to the UNfriendly countries, and profits. Someone get Hunter on the phone.)
Joke post?
The price of food in Europe and in America have skyrocketed since the war started.:
“German retailer Aldi Nord to raise prices by 20-50% on Monday
Meat, sausage products, butter to be more expensive amid rising production, energy costs due to Russia-Ukraine war, says spokesman”
But they were never that great at economics
And you think you are?
From the article:
“Russia serves as a major global exporter of several commodities, including sunflower oil, barley, and wheat; the latter of which it mainly supplies to Africa and the Middle East...The European Union and Ukraine are its main competitors in the wheat trade, which manifests as items such as pasta, bread, cereal, and fried foods for consumers.”
So it’s Europe who opposes the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, but it’s mainly Africa and the Middle East who will be cut off from Russian wheat? Also, if Russia withdraws from the wheat market that will enrich its European competitors. Yeah, that will really show those Euro-pansies who’s in charge! /s
This article makes no sense.
Agreed! I’m not saying I *LIKE* it, I’m just saying that this is what will happen.
I’m surprised that someone isn’t doing that with the verboten “Russian oil”. Buy it at a discount, sell it on the world market for the going price.
Good Post!
I have an idea for food. Quit turning corn into ethanol and ruining perfectly good gas by its addition. It is food not fuel!
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