LONDON (The Independent) -Food prices could jump 15 percent this year as a result of the war in Ukraine, according to a leading industry boss.
Russia and Ukraine are two of the world’s biggest suppliers of wheat and the crisis has also caused a surge in energy costs, making fertilizer, transport and heating more expensive.
Ronald Kers, the chief executive of food company 2 Sisters, told the BBC’s Today program that prices it pays farmers for chickens had risen 50 percent.
He indicated that if the war continues for months, “fundamentally it means as a country we may need to start importing less and producing more ourselves”.
“We need to work together with all food supply chain partners to find a solution to make us a country less dependent in imports... it’s a very complex issue.”
Mr Kers said Brexit had made it more difficult to co-operate with Europe to ensure food security.
Last week, the National Farmers Union (NFU) wrote to ministers, urging them to make food security a top priority.
UK wheat prices are 39 percent higher than they were a year ago, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. Farmers have also had to contend with a five-fold increase in fertilizer prices.