The Jewish Home | JUNE 23, 2022
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The Week In News
Sudan: Wheat Crop May Go to Waste
An October 2021 coup and the Russia-Ukraine war have left Sudan’s food security hanging by a thread. Thousands of Sudanese farmers have cultivated wheat as part of Sudan’s largest agricultural program, in which the government promised farmers 43,000
Sudanese pounds per sack of wheat. In recent weeks, however, Sudanese officials have said that due to a lack of funds, they will not be able to purchase this year’s entire harvest. Last month, dozens of wheat farmers from Sudan’s Northern State staged a protest outside the agricultural bank after it refused their harvest. Although traders have offered to purchase the wheat, the price they proposed would barely cover the cost of production. An agricultural bank official said that the government “does not have the money to buy the harvest.” “We have asked the Finance Ministry and the central bank for funds, but we got no response,” the official told AFP. This year, the farmers’ harvest was expected to provide 25% of the 2.2 million tons needed. According to a 2021 UN report, wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine make up 70-80% of Sudan’s market needs. The wheat can last up to 1.5 years if stored properly but may rot within three months if stored improperly. Meanwhile, according to United Nations estimates, over 18 million people – nearly half Sudan’s population – are expected to be pushed into extreme hunger by September.
Extreme Flooding in India, Bangladesh
Recent monsoons in India and Bangladesh have left at least 59 people dead and millions of others stranded, officials said on Saturday. Although floods are a regular occurrence in Bangladesh, experts say that floods are increasing in their frequency, unpredictability, and ferocity. Troops have been deployed throughout the nation to evacuate households cut off from neighboring communities. Police officials noted that lightning triggered by the storms has killed at least 21 people since Friday afternoon, including three children. At least four other people died when landslides hit their homes. In India, according to Assam’s disaster response agency, over 2.6 million
people have been affected by floods in the area, and 18 have died in floodwaters or landslides, while nearly 7,500 more people have been rescued. Speaking to reporters, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that he had instructed district officials to provide “all necessary help and relief” to those caught in the flooding. Sylhet region chief government administrator Mosharraf Hossain noted that nearly the entire region was without electricity, adding, “The situation is bad. More than four million people have been stranded by flood water.”
Ukraine Granted EU Candidate Status Ukraine on Friday was granted “candidate status” by the European Union (EU) to join the 27-nation alliance. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “Ukraine has clearly shown commitment to live up to European values and standards, and embarked, before the war, on its way towards the EU.”
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