CHARLOTTE, N.C. — How does farming in Ukraine impact the global market?
Let's connect the dots.
Right now, Russia is blocking seaports in Ukraine, choking off the country's supply of grain to the rest of the world.
Ukraine is considered one of the breadbaskets of the world, producing food exported to North Africa, the Middle East and China.
Before the war, Ukraine and Russia accounted for almost a third of the world's wheat and barley and half of its sunflower oil.
President Zelensky said a blockage is preventing about 22 million tons of grain from being exported, but that number could triple in the next few months.
The European Union is working to open alternate routes for shipping food overseas, but it would risk a wider confrontation with Russia. That's a risk western countries have been trying to avoid.
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