PARIS: Poor countries are expected to suffer the most from worldwide food crises exacerbated by the war in Ukraine as they will be forced to pay more for less food, the United Nations warned on Thursday.

The global food import bill was on course to hit a new record of $1.8 trillion this year as the Ukraine conflict pushes up cereal and grain prices.

But it was higher prices and transport costs rather than volumes that would account for the bulk of the expected increase, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization wrote in its latest Food Outlook.

“Worryingly, many vulnerable countries are paying more but receiving less food,” the report said.

The FAO calculated that the global food import bill was projected to rise by $51 billion from 2021, of which $49 billion reflected higher prices.

The least developed countries were anticipated to see a five-percent contraction in their food import bill this year.