According to the Ukrainian newspaper Kyiv Post, as many as 94 percent of irrigation systems in the Kherson region now lack a water source. In the Zaporizhzhya region, 74 percent lack water, while the same figure for Dnipropetrovsk is 30 percent.
– Locally and nationally, what has happened is of course a disaster, says Lars-Erik Lundkvist, economic policy expert at LRF.
What does this mean for agriculture in the region?
– That an already difficult situation gets worse. You can of course try to reallocate resources within the country, but Ukraine already has a reduced harvest from the war and it is also difficult to get the products onto the world market, he says and adds:
– This growing year is of course ruined. Then it’s about how quickly you can repair this damage and that depends on how the war develops.
“Will be reflected in the prices”
How could this affect food production in the world?
– In a global perspective, it does not have any huge and clear consequences. On the other hand, it means a further deterioration of the self-sufficiency in Ukraine.
– The prices of grain have increased after the outbreak of war and I find it difficult to see that this will lead to the same type of price increases. It will probably be reflected in the prices, but it is not of the same dignity as before.
Can the prices in Sweden be affected?
– No, the price trend in Sweden is more affected by the general rate of inflation. The harvest outcome this autumn, both in Sweden and in Europe and on a global level, will have greater significance for the price trend.
“Another example of all the horrors of war”
What did you think when you saw the news about the dam collapse?
– That it is another example of all the dangers and horrors of war. One naturally becomes concerned about what this will lead to and what the consequences will be in the longer term. There is, of course, no good news linked to developments in Ukraine.