Jerusalem - On Monday, Israel entered into a landmark grain agreement with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, forging a unique regional partnership with these Muslim-majority countries to secure its wheat supply. The accord is designed to ensure Israel's entire wheat requirements, a crucial move given the global food crisis exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

This long-term agreement was established in response to Israel's strategic aim to diversify its sources of wheat, as the nation typically imports over 90 percent of the wheat it consumes, primarily for animal feed. The war in Ukraine, along with the prior economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, has significantly complicated Israel's ability to import goods, resulting in a notable rise in prices for various commodities.

In exchange for supplying wheat, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will receive advanced agricultural technologies from Israel.

Avi Dichter, the Israeli Agriculture Minister, remarked, "As part of the vision that we lead in the Agriculture Ministry to ensure food security… today, we are advancing another significant step toward ensuring agricultural produce, most of which is not produced in Israel."

"In this period of global uncertainty, many countries are interested in advancing with us out of common interests. We will continue to create more partnerships between the State of Israel and other countries, thereby ensuring food security for the citizens of Israel," Dichter added.

According to the United Nations, by 2050, around two billion people worldwide will suffer from hunger, primarily due to factors such as climate change and reduced wheat production, which persists as long as Russia's conflict in Ukraine continues.