By A Correspondent- The Russia and Ukraine conflict, which has spawned a surge in global food prices and disruption of world markets and supply chains, has been a wake-up call for Zimbabwe on the need to ensure food security, President Mnangagwa has said.

In his weekly column published in The Sunday Mail yesterday, President Mnangagwa said a new world order was emerging, and Zimbabwe must respond appropriately and creatively to keep abreast with fast moving global events.

“Foremost, Zimbabwe must be a food-secure nation. This means ensuring our agriculture is modernised through mechanisation for greater efficiencies and productivity. We will not stop at anything to achieve food security for our nation,” he said.

“For that to happen, we need to secure vital inputs for our agricultural sector. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with the resultant turbulence in global food prices, is a wake-up call to us all. Global supply chains both for fertilisers and grains stand imperilled by that conflict situation.”

President Mnangagwa said Russia and Ukraine were big players in the global economy, principally in the key sectors of technologies, agriculture and energy.

“The ongoing conflict between them has reverberated globally, including disrupting world markets and supply chains, all against post-pandemic fragilities already afflicting the world,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe will have to respond appropriately to the developments taking place.

“A new world order is emerging, and Zimbabwe must respond appropriately and creatively, so it is not sidelined or placed on the receiving end of these fast-paced global changes.

Our activities in the past two months, and going forward, should be understood from that broad, regional, continental and global perspective,” he said.

President Mnangagwa noted that Zimbabwe had equally been a victim of unilateralism where illegal sanctions were imposed by the West just as NATO was provocatively making an eastward expansion.