OREANDA-NEWS. French Minister of Agriculture and Food Julien Denormandy said that due to Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, a food crisis could arise in the world. This is reported by the newspaper Le Figaro.

The threat could be very real, Denormandie said, as many Mediterranean countries import Russian and Ukrainian wheat. In addition, the situation may be affected by rising prices, in particular, for feed for farm animals.

At the same time, the minister noted that France is not very dependent on the import of Russian or Ukrainian wheat. He also proposed expanding European production to deal with the food crisis.

The share of the Russian Federation and Ukraine in world wheat exports is almost 30%. Ukraine is also one of the largest producers of corn and sunflower.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe could face "great difficulties" if gas supplies from Russia are cut off amid the situation around Ukraine.

“France is not so dependent on Russian gas. But if Russia stops gas supplies, Europe will face great difficulties next winter,” Macron explained.