Ukraine Crisis Monitoring: Analysis of Food Crisis Risks and Policy Responsiveness

The Food Security Portal gratefully acknowledges the European Commission (EC) and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the Government of the United Kingdom for their financial support of the Ukraine crisis monitoring.

Last update: July 2025

The crisis in Ukraine threatens global food security at a time when global food markets are already struggling with soaring prices, supply-chain disruptions, and a bumpy recovery from the pandemic. Ukraine and the Russian Federation account for more than 30% of global wheat exports, provide around 12 percent of the globally traded supply of food energy in kilo calories, and are breadbaskets to many food import-dependent developing countries in the Middle East, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, Russia is a major producer of fertilizer. Any serious disruption of production and exports from these suppliers will drive up prices further and erode food security for millions of people. If governments respond with export restrictions in an effort to keep domestic food prices in check, the impact on food security will be even higher.

In this context, monitoring the impact of the crisis on food security is key. To that end, this page provides several tools to monitor the situation. Here you can monitor production and stocks, track food export restrictions, check food price volatility, and access resources such as the AMIS Market Monitor.

 

The AMIS Market Monitor November 2025

Markets for wheat, maize, rice and soybeans remain well supplied as of November. Global crop conditions remain generally favorable, though localized challenges persist. Early-season drought is affecting winter wheat sowing in China, the European Union, and Ukraine, while excessive rains are hampering maize harvesting in China and the United States. In addition, tropical storms in Viet Nam and Thailand have damaged rice crops. Despite these disruptions, prices declined for all major crops except soybeans, which saw slight gains. Fertilizer prices also eased but remain high relative to crop values, weighing on fertilizer demand. The outlook is clouded by the US government shutdown, which has been disrupting the release of crucial market reports, coupled with policy uncertainty and evolving trade policies.

Food and Fertilizer Export Restrictions Tracker

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to expose global food security to high uncertainty, exacerbating already soaring food prices stemming from COVID-19-induced supply disruptions and drought-reduced yields. As seen in past global food price crises, some countries have begun restricting food trade with the objective of controlling domestic food inflation. These restrictions can have dire unintended consequences for vulnerable people in food-importing countries, increasing prices and exacerbating food insecurity.

Excessive Food Price Volatility Early Warning System

Excessive food price volatility affects farmers, traders, processors and consumers – and it threatens food security. In the aftermath of the 2007-2008 food price crisis and post-crisis commodity price volatility, the Food Security Portal developed the Excessive Food Price Volatility Early Warning System. This system aims to identify unusual periods of excessive price variability, defined as price variability that exceeds a pre-established threshold.