With energy shortages and soaring natural gas prices, the world is facing a double crisis of energy and food

The Paper's reporter Nan Boyi trainee reporter Zhu Runyu

On October 21, Svein Tore Holsether, president of Yara, a fertilizer giant based in Oslo, Norway, said that Europe's energy shortages and soaring natural gas prices are currently having an impact on the company's fertilizer production. The result of these factors is likely to be a global food crisis.

According to the Russian Satellite News Agency reported on the 21st, Holst warned on the same day that the current soaring price of natural gas in Europe is likely to lead to the emergence of famine. He said that in the current situation of soaring natural gas prices, Yara International Group, one of the largest buyers of natural gas in Europe, can only reduce the production of fertilizer, and farmers have to reduce the amount of fertilizer used in the planting process.

At the same time, farmers are currently facing economic pressures that are difficult to make money. As a result, these two factors are "threatening" food security, and there could be a sharp decline in crop yields around the world.

According to a report by Yara Group, the company's net loss in the third quarter of this year reached US$143 million (about 914 million yuan). In the same period last year, the company's net profit was $339 million.

Holst revealed in an interview, "At this stage, because of economic and energy problems, it is difficult for farmers to use a large amount of fertilizer produced from natural gas, so they can use nitrogen fertilizer." Failure to do so will lead to food production shortages. This would turn the energy crisis we are currently facing into a food crisis. He also stressed that the main source of income for people in some of the world's poorer countries or regions is growing food. He expressed concern about the future of these people.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) issued a warning on October 4 that food crises are already occurring in some parts of the world. Qu Dongyu, director general of the organization, pointed out on the same day, "At present, many regions of the world are facing an unprecedented food crisis, which has triggered a deadly famine. As 2021 draws to a close, the situation continues to deteriorate. He believes that humanitarian assistance and the transformation of agricultural food systems can alleviate the food crisis.

Editor-in-Charge: Li Yiqing

Proofreader: Yan Zhang