HOW UAE, SOUTH KOREA ENSURE FOOD SECURITY

UAE's innovation and South Korea's diversification reveal food's new geopolitical role

- BY KRISTIAN P. ALEXANDER | Special to Gulf News

Few countries are as acutely aware of their vulnerability to food supply disruptions as South Korea and the UAE.

Both are highly urbanised, import-dependent states with limited arable land, making food security a matter of national security. The shockwaves of the Russia-Ukraine war, climate-induced crop failures, and pandemic-era supply chain bottlenecks have underscored that the ability to feed one's population is as strategic as oil or microchips.

Korea imports roughly 70 per cent of its food, including nearly all of its wheat, corn, and soybeans, making it one of the most import-dependent countries among OECD members. Wheat supplies come primarily from the United States, Australia, and Canada, while corn and soybeans are sourced heavily from the US, Brazil, and Argentina. Price spikes in these commodities are quickly felt in household budgets, making food inflation politically sensitive. To hedge against volatility, Korea maintains a modest but strategic grain reserve programme, stockpiling rice domestically and holding limited emergency reserves of wheat and barley. The reserve size remains limited compared to Korea’s exposure to global markets.