Middle East reels from historically high food prices

World food prices in March reached their highest levels ever, according to the United Nations.
An Egyptian man arranges fruits at a shop in a market in Cairo, on March 17, 2022. Soaring bread prices sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have bitten into the purchasing power of consumers in Egypt, a leading importer of wheat from the former Soviet states.
An Egyptian man arranges fruits at a shop in a market in Cairo, Egypt, March 17, 2022. - Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images
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Adam Lucente
@Adam_Lucente

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said today that food prices are at their highest levels ever. 

The UN body said its food price index rose 12% in March, reaching its highest level since its inception in 1990. The price increases are largely due to disruptions caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine are combined responsible for 30% of global wheat exports and 20% of global corn exports, the Food and Agriculture Organization said in a press release. 

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