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India Voices Concerns on Misuse of ‘Open Markets’ Amid Record Food Shortages

© AP Photo / Dar YasinPeople carry harvested paddy in a rice field on the outskirts of Srinagar, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
People carry harvested paddy in a rice field on the outskirts of Srinagar, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. - Sputnik India, 1920, 04.08.2023
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In the wake of western sanctions against Russia, Indian PM Modi called for "depoliticizing the global supply of food and fertilizers, so that geopolitical tensions do not lead to humanitarian crisis”.
Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), has called for equity, affordability and accessibility in addressing the global shortage of food grains.
She stated it while delivering the country statement at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) debate on ‘Famine and Conflict-Induced Global Food Insecurity’.

“We have already seen to our great cost how these principles were disregarded in the case of the Covid-19 vaccines. Open markets must not become an argument to perpetuate inequity and promote discrimination,” Kamboj said, in a reference to New Delhi’s past criticism of western nations which had refused to release Covid vaccines during the peak of the second wave in 2021.

Kamboj underlined the need for all the countries to work together in a bid to find common solutions to the food grain crisis.
She said that no single country could alone solve the ongoing food, fertilizers and energy crisis.
“Choosing peace, cooperation, and multilateralism is essential for building our collective future. Strengthening the international architecture and governance systems to protect the global order, global laws, and global values is a shared responsibility,” she remarked.
New Delhi hasn’t backed the unilateral western sanctions imposed by western countries against Moscow in the wake of the special military operation in Ukraine.

Kamboj also highlighted the dire global food, fertilizer and energy situation posed “significant challenges” to the countries in the Global South.

"The global food insecurity situation is daunting, with an increasing number of people facing acute food shortages over the past four years. According to UN estimates, 362 million people in 62 countries require humanitarian aid, a record high," Kamboj said.

India Playing Its Part in Addressing ‘Global Challenges’

Kamboj said that New Delhi was committed to playing its part in addressing the “contemporary global challenges”, highlighting India’s medical and vaccine supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as its humanitarian assistance to sanctions-hit nations such as Afghanistan and Myanmar.
“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 our neighborhood and Africa, to strengthen food security,” she said.
Kamboj said that New Delhi also backed the efforts of the UN Secretary General in finding an “early resolution to the present impasse” as far as the Black Sea Grain Initiative was concerned.
She said that food assistance wasn’t a “long-term sustainable solution” to address shortages.
“Peace building and development is paramount and must include livelihood support, social protection programmes, and community-based approaches including investment in agriculture infrastructure and capacity-building in rural development, especially in conflict areas,” highlighted Kamboj.
A plenary session of the Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia - Sputnik India, 1920, 27.07.2023
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