Oleg Kobiakov: “We must prevent an epidemic of malnutrition and hunger”

Russia 24 TV Channel. Program “Evening 5th Studio” hosted by Stas Natanzon on 7 April, 2020

Live interview with the Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office with the Russian Federation Oleg Kobiakov.

Anchorman: “Of course, the complex epidemiological situation, as it is called, causes a lot of anxiety in terms of food security in the world. Now the agricultural season begins, and we see that in some regions, due to the strict quarantine regime, for example, in Italy, agricultural workers are not allowed to enter the fields. A similar difficult situation is in Germany, where regular seasonal workers were brought from Asia, because domestic labor is too expensive, but now they cannot bring them.

What will happen to food security in the world? Let us ask this question Oleg Kobiakov, Director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Liaison Office with the Russian Federation. Oleg Yulievich, thank you for joining us. Right off the bat, do You think there might be a shortage of food in the world because of the coronavirus?”

Oleg Kobiakov: “Good evening, Stas. Of course, the current situation with the spread of coronavirus will also affect food security, because, firstly, physically, as You have already said, people’s access to their production areas, to fields, forests, to the “blue fields” is limited. Secondly, the quarantine regime creates obstacles to the movement of goods, to the processing of raw materials, to their promotion along the entire food chain, to storage, and, finally, to their distribution and sales in the wholesale and retail network. So now, although, surprisingly, the Food Price Index, as noted by FAO, even slipped down in March, there may be disruptions in food supplies in the coming months, affecting, especially, poor countries.

Another parameter, another dimension of food security is the availability of financial resources, meaning the paying capacity of the population. Due to the fact that people are now under quarantine isolation restrictions around the world, missing out on their usual income, the actual food demand of the population is also decreasing. Thus, these factors will affect both the food supply chains and demand. So, of course, having overcome the medical peak of the epidemic, we must tackle this problem in advance to prevent the coronavirus epidemic result in an epidemic of malnutrition and hunger on the planet.”

Anchorman: “What should we do? What does the UN recommend? We are in a fix. On the one hand, we need to isolate people, on the other hand, we need to give people the opportunity to go to the greenhouses and to the fields in order to plant food that we will than eat.”

Oleg Kobiakov: “Under the circumstances, first of all, governments should play their role and take measures to alleviate the dire situation of both those employed in agriculture, fishing, forestry, labouring in rural areas, and consumers in large cities who do not have their own access to greenhouses, pastures, and livestock. Of course, the situation varies in developed and developing countries, but a plethora of damage-control measures is being implemented on a global scale and, in principle, it includes material assistance, whether in the form of food packages, or cash payments, all sorts of tax benefits, credit benefits, and a moratorium on payments. Large enterprises, in particular, can also provide support to their employees. The range of measures is wide, and it is especially important to implement them now to help people survive the yet unchecked epidemic.”

You are welcome to watch the video interview placed here:   

https://yadi.sk/d/ZGknUU2SsFHs1g