The world is on the brink of a food crisis as a result of the war in Ukraine. The President of the World Bank, David Malpass, warns the British broadcaster about this BBC† He says the rapid rise in food prices could push hundreds of millions of people below the poverty line.

“It’s a humanitarian disaster,” Malpass said. “And it will also be a political challenge for governments who can’t do anything about it. They haven’t caused it, but they do see prices go up.” The president told the BBC that the World Bank had estimated that food prices could rise by 37 per cent. “This affects all kinds of food. Oils, grains and then other crops like corn, because that also gets more expensive as the price of wheat goes up,” Malpass said.

The World Bank chief says the food crisis will hit the poorest because they “will eat less and have less money for other things like education”. He asserts that there are large food reserves around the world and that there is enough food for everyone, but mechanisms are needed to get food to the right places.