The United States is the "behind -the -scenes" of the global food crisis

At present, the new crown pneumonia's epidemic and Russia -Ukraine conflict overweight extreme weather has continuously impacted the global food supply system, and the global food security situation has deteriorated. The international community generally believes that the food crisis has occurred, and the United Nations has stated that humans may face the largest food crisis after World War II.

Global unsafe food concentration is manifested in the following aspects:

The grain supply system was further pressed. Global grain production and consumption volume have long been "tight and balanced" for a long time. According to data released by the US Department of Agriculture and the International Council, 2019/2020-2021/2022, the ratio of the global grain period and consumption ratio decrease year by year. huge pressure. Russia and Ukraine conflicts overlapping extreme weather, exacerbating the vulnerability of the global food system. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that global grain production in 2022 decreases by 1.4%year -on -year, and the ratio of global grain inventory to consumption will fall to the lowest point since 2013/2014.

On August 10, 2021, local time, Venezuela, 63 -year -old Louis Diaz was farm in farmland near La Vega. Venezuela has been affected by the food crisis for eight consecutive years. Some locals have found a way to solve the shortage of food, that is, it is to plant food crops. Photo/Visual China

Food prices remain high. In March, the global food price index of food and agriculture was as high as 159.7 points, and continued to rise on the basis of breaking the historical record in February. At the time of the annual food crisis, the average value of 66.3 points from 1990-1999. The World Bank pointed out in the latest issue of "Food Safety Status Update" that global food prices are high, and they are not optimistic. The rise in grain prices has been the most important to develop countries that rely on grain imports and food costs to occupy a large share of income, especially poor countries, and their economic and social stability is under pressure.

The number of unsafe foods has continued to increase. High food prices, tight supply, exacerbating hunger and malnutrition. The global response to the food crisis pointed out that the number of people in the world facing unexpected food and urgent grain assistance continues to grow at an alarming rate. The World Grain Program pointed out that in 2021, the number of people around the world was increased to 828 million, and the goal of "eliminating all forms of hunger, unsafe grain and malnutrition by 2030" by 2030.

On November 09, 2021, Shanghai, the Fourth Expo (Food and Agricultural Products Exhibition Area), American Food, Cargill, Cargill, Consuming Oil. Photo/Visual China

There are many reasons for the formation of this food crisis. However, no matter what kind of explanation, it is difficult for the United States to be exempted from the United States that occupy an important position in the global grain supply system and control the global grain business capital and the grain trading market.

On the one hand, grain merchant capital gathers and monopolizes the global grain industry chain. The United States is the world's largest exporter of food. Three of the four major grain companies that monopolize most of the global food transactions are American companies -ADM, Bangji, and Cargill. These three major multinational grain giants have the layout of major food exporters (Brazil, Argentina), the world's major food giants, and provide them with seeds and agricultural resources in advance, control the production and trade of food, and enjoy the unquestionable pricing power in the global grain market. Capital is profitable, and the United States is the biggest beneficiary of international grain prices. In contrast to the rise in the global food crisis, in the past year, Bangji's stock price has risen by more than 22%, ADM's stock price has risen by more than 44%, and profits have risen sharply. Essence

On the other hand, the finance of grain pricing has triggered the price of food prices. The design and operation of grain -related financial derivatives has become the standard for commodity hedge funds and international speculative trading departments, and these institutions are also the main participants and pricingers of the international grain market. Specifications for food production, energy prices, weather changes, and transportation risks, have become important factor that caused great shocks for global food prices.

The United States is the center of the global commodity pricing. The Chicago Futures Exchange has the right to pricing global agricultural products. The New York Commodity Exchange provides the world's largest types of commodity contracts, which further covers agricultural product transactions. Any wind blowing in the US capital market will be transmitted to food prices. Under the epidemic, the United States first put water in large water, causing a large amount of capital to flood into grain futures transactions and pushed up the price of food; now the Fed continues to break through the expectations of interest rate hikes, which has caused market panic. The exchange rate depreciates, and the dilemma of food purchase intensifies.

On April 12, 2022, local time, the US President Biden (left) visited the biological treatment factory from POET, a biofuel producer POET. Photo/Visual China

Biofuile factors cannot be underestimated. As early as 2014, American experts analyzed that the price of grain prices contributed 75%of bio -fuel factors; at present, American biofuel consumption is huge (2021/2022 accounts for about half of its total food consumption), and radical energy transformation It may further push up the demand for biological fuel, exacerbate the tight food supply and push up prices. Recently, the Bayeng government further extended the tax credit of biofuels in the newly signed "2022 Inflation Relief Law"; the U.S. government also requested the use of biofuels such as corn -based ethanol to refine plants; Open high ethanol content (15%) gasoline sales (the proportion of ethanol in gasoline sold in most parts of the United States accounted for about 10%) to control oil prices. The US move will affect its exported corn, soybeans and other agricultural products, which is tantamount to worsening the global grain market that is already tight supply and demand. Given that the global food crisis has arrived, countries and international communities need to look at long -term, comprehensively consider, and seek response. Not only will each country reconstruct and improve the country's food supply system and keep it tough; but also the international community needs to start from the concept of the community of human destiny to build a sustainable global grain security structure. It is hoped that the United States will start from the interests of all human beings to effectively provide food assistance, deal with the global food crisis, and ensure the basic guarantee of human security.

Author: Zheng Yi Researcher of the Institute of World Economy of China Modern International Relations Research Institute

Editor in charge: Enron Hua Zhang Yuxin

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