Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has underscored the importance of working together as a region to withstand the climate crisis, the use of illegal weapons, and the consequences of war, among other ills.
According to Mottley, the consequences of war have resulted in countries facing issues regarding access to commodities and warned the region to brace for higher food prices from the fallout of the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its fifth week.
“The truth is that with the war in Ukraine going into its fifth or so week, we are now going to start to see regrettably some of the consequences of that war, which has been spoken about. That is going to lead to discomfort in many of our countries with respect to prices and with respect to access to those commodities,” she was quoted as saying by the Barbados Government Information Service.
Mottley continued: “It is going to be therefore to the potential risk of us having to settle our populations and to get them to understand that the world is going through a difficult moment. But, it’s not the first time that it has gone through and it will, regrettably, not be the last because of…our natural environment.”
Already countries, including Guyana, are facing challenges from the increased cost of living due to COVID-triggered disruptions to the global supply chain. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine could exacerbate the already COVID-19 fractured global supply chain, resulting in more increases in food prices, the United Nation (UN)’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned. The Organisation has also cautioned that the world may be staring down the barrel of an eight to 22 per cent increase in international food and feed prices above their already elevated levels.
Flour prices in Guyana have already skyrocketed. Gas prices have also increased, but the government has committed to absorbing increases in bills from utility companies.
