The world is entering a new phase in its fight against hunger — and BRICS stands at its core. As the World Bank reports, the global food crisis continues to intensify, with over 99 million people across 59 countries facing acute shortages in 2024.
While the planet produces enough calories to feed everyone, unequal access, inflated prices, and fragile logistics continue to obstruct fair distribution.
Now, the BRICS alliance — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — is stepping up to reshape that narrative. Together, the bloc accounts for over one-third of global food production and more than 40% of fertilizer output, positioning itself as a genuine “global centre of food security.”
“The BRICS countries are a pillar of global food security,” said Lubarto Sartoyo, TV BRICS expert in foreign economic relations. “They account for more than 45 per cent of the world’s agricultural land, over 40 per cent of grain and meat production, and significant shares in the global export of key crops.”
Among the bloc’s major contributors, Russia exported 109 million tonnes of food worth $45 billion in 2024, while Brazil achieved a record $166.55 billion in agricultural exports in 2023. China, the world’s largest producer of rice, wheat, and maize, is now transitioning toward exporting branded premium food products.
Meanwhile, India remains a leading exporter of rice, milk, and spices, underscoring BRICS’ dominance in both volume and diversity.
A central initiative driving this transformation is the planned BRICS Grain Exchange, supported in April 2025. The exchange aims to create independent pricing mechanisms, expand trade, and strengthen logistics networks across member states. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev emphasized that it will “establish the foundations for independent price indicators and help increase Russian grain exports.”
Still, challenges remain. Building infrastructure, establishing a clearing currency, and ensuring competitiveness with Western markets are critical steps. Experts caution that food may be available — but equitable access will depend on efficient logistics and payment systems.
As FAO Director-General QU Dongyu highlighted: “Better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better life” are essential to global resilience. The BRICS bloc, through collaboration and innovation, is rapidly becoming the linchpin of that vision — a new centre of food stability for an increasingly divided world.
