"We must ensure that prices do not soar further due to market distortion if certain countries prevent exports," said Cem Özdemir, who said he was "very worried" about this risk, at the press conference. outcome of a meeting with his G7 counterparts.
These seven countries - the United States, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Canada - have themselves committed "to avoid all signals and restrictive measures which would limit exports and lead to further price increases", according to a joint statement.
“We call on all countries to keep their food and agricultural markets open and to guard against unjustified export restrictions,” they added.
Global food prices are currently at record highs, amid tight supply aggravated by Russia's war in Ukraine.
These two countries are indeed major exporters of agricultural commodities, particularly wheat.
In this context, the G7 states are worried about restrictions on exporting countries, which would be tempted to keep their production for themselves, thus causing shortages and even famines in certain regions of the world.
"If everyone is thinking of themselves in this situation, it will further aggravate the crisis and lead to a new price spike," said Cem Ozdemir.
“That is why we agreed today (…) that it was not what we wanted, but that we aspired to close collaboration between States, he added.
In the case of Europe, however, the minister wanted to reassure "Germany and the European Union are not threatened with food shortages," he said.
© 2022 AFP