United Nations, May 19 (PTI) Amid the "sudden spike" in global wheat prices in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, India said on Thursday that it was committed to ensuring that adverse impact on food security is effectively mitigated and the vulnerable are cushioned against sudden changes in the global market.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, participating in the UN Security Council Open Debate on ‘Maintenance of International Peace & Security - Conflict and Food Security' organised by Council President the US, also underlined that the issue of energy security needs to be addressed through "greater sensitivity" to other countries energy mix and import requirements.

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Muraleedharan said that the world was already struggling to find its way to emerge from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the conflict in Ukraine is now having a profound impact, with spiralling energy and commodity prices and disruptions in global logistical supply chains.

With the Global South adversely impacted both by the conflict itself, as well as by the various measures put in place in response, Muraleedharan cautioned that if the conflict does not give way to a meaningful path of dialogue and diplomacy immediately, "there will be severe repercussions in the global economy which will derail the efforts of the Global South to secure food security and eradicate hunger in the run up to 2030."

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Outlining several points for the Council's consideration, he said a number of low income societies are confronted with the twin challenges of rising costs and difficulty in access to food grains.

"Even those like India, who have adequate stocks, have seen an unjustified increase in food prices. It is clear that hoarding and speculation is at work. We cannot allow this to pass unchallenged," he said at the Council meeting chaired by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Reiterating his remarks made at the Ministerial Meeting on ‘Global Food Security Call to Action' Tuesday, Muraleedharan said that the Indian government has recognised the sudden spike in global prices of wheat which "put our food security and those of our neighbours and other vulnerable countries at risk".

"We are committed to ensuring that such adverse impact on food security is effectively mitigated and the vulnerable cushioned against sudden changes in the global market," he said.

He told the Council that in order to manage India's own overall food security and support the needs of neighbouring and other vulnerable developing countries, New Delhi announced measures on May 13, under which the country restricted wheat exports.

"Let me reaffirm that these measures allow for export on the basis of approvals to those countries who are required to meet their food security demands. This will be done on the request from the concerned governments. Such a policy will ensure that we will truly respond to those who are most in need," he said.

Muraleedharan told the Council that even in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, India provided food aid in the form of thousands of metric tonnes of wheat, rice, pulses, and lentils to several countries, including in its neighbourhood (50,000 Metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan and 10,000 tonnes of rice and wheat to Myanmar) and Africa, to strengthen food security.

"We are also assisting Sri Lanka, including with food assistance, during its difficult times," he added.

With the Russia-Ukraine war impacting global energy prices, Muraleedharan said that energy security is equally a serious concern given that it has been a key collateral fallout of the conflict. "This needs to be addressed through greater sensitivity to other countries' energy mix and import requirements, as well as by enhancing mutual cooperative efforts," he said.

India has asserted that its energy purchases from Russia remain 'minuscule' in comparison to its total consumption.

Muraleedharan underlined that it is necessary for the international community to "adequately appreciate the importance of equity, affordability and accessibility when it comes to food grains.

We have already seen to our great cost how these principles were disregarded in the case of COVID-19 vaccines. Open markets must not become an argument to perpetuate inequity and promote discrimination."

On Tuesday, Muraleedharan had called out the West, asserting that food grains should not go the way of the COVID-19 vaccines as it voiced concern over hoarding and discrimination amid the “unjustified increase” in food prices.

He said that armed conflict and terrorism combined with extreme weather, crop pests, food price volatility, exclusion, and economic shocks can devastate any fragile State leading to food insecurity and increase the threat of famine.

The capacity building support to countries facing these issues, in designing, implementing, and monitoring policies and programmes related to food is therefore extremely critical, he said, adding that ensuring food security especially for the poor and the marginalized is a challenge that preoccupies Governments in developing countries first and foremost.

India said food security challenges emanating from the Ukraine conflict require the international community to respond creatively.

"The growing shortages can only be addressed by going beyond constraints that bind us presently," he said, welcoming UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' call for exempting purchases of food by the World Food Programme for humanitarian assistance from food export restrictions with immediate effect. "But we need to go beyond that to make a real difference."

India stressed that the solution to these challenges lies in global collective action. "No single country can, on its own, handle such complex collateral ramifications. We need to work collectively and we need to work together," he said.

Muraleedharan reiterated that the solution through dialogue and diplomacy to the conflict in Ukraine needs to be arrived at, without any further delay.

He underlined the need to avoid linking humanitarian and developmental assistance with the progress in the political process, saying such a position by donors will only exacerbate food insecurity in conflict situations.

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