Australia can help feed the world, Anthony Albanese tells G20 leaders

Anthony Albanese says Australian food exports could help avert global famine, declaring the country’s prospects as a green energy giant will prove decisive.

Anthony Albanese with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Bali on Tuesday. Picture: Reuters

Anthony Albanese has told world leaders that Australian food ­exports could help avert global famine and declared the country’s prospects as a green energy giant will prove decisive in the shift to a low carbon future.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned G20 leaders Russia was using energy supplies as “a weapon” and threatening global famine, Mr Albanese said Australian agricultural ­exports could ease rising food ­insecurity.

In a closed-door “intervention” in the G20 debate in Bali on food and energy, the Prime Minister condemned Russia’s “illegal” ­invasion of Ukraine and urged freer trade and enhanced agricultural productivity.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said the world should resolutely oppose attempts to politicise food and energy issues or use them as tools and weapons.

Mr Xi said food and energy ­security was the most pressing challenge in global development, and the best way out of the crisis was to unclog supply chains, remove unilateral sanctions and develop an open, stable and sustainable commodities market.

Seated between British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Japanese leader Fumio Kishida, Mr ­Albanese called on fellow leaders to back the G20’s common framework to manage the growing debt sustainability challenge facing vulnerable economies.

Anthony Albanese shakes hands with Indonesia's President Joko Widodo as he arrives for the G20 leaders' summit. Picture: Twitter / @AlboMP

Looking forward, he spoke about the need for countries to decarbonise their economies, offering long-term Australian support through green energy exports.

As Ukrainians struggle to keep warm after Russian attacks on power plants and European ­nations rush to replenish energy stocks to ahead of winter, Mr Zelensky said Vladimir Putin was benefiting from the energy crisis.

He urged Western support to “fully protect” Ukrainian airspace from Russian missile attacks on the country’s power plants, and a called for a cap on Russian energy exports to Europe.

“If Russia is trying to deprive Ukraine, Europe and all energy consumers in the world of predictability and price stability, the ­answer to this should be a forced limitation of export prices for Russia,” he said. “That’s fair. If you take something away, the world has the right to take from you.”

The Ukrainian President said the Black Sea “Grain from Ukraine” initiative should be ­extended indefinitely, and called for it to be opened up to more Ukrainian ports.

“Since July, Ukraine has ­exported over 10 million tonnes of food by sea. We can increase ­exports by several million tonnes per month. I also call on all countries … to join our initiative to help the poorest with food.”

G20 host Joko Widodo warned food insecurity being felt across the developing world could ­become a crisis is fertiliser production didn’t increase.

“Fertiliser scarcity will lead to crop failure in many parts of the world,” he said. “Forty-eight developing countries who are in the highest food insecurity will face a more serious situation if fertiliser prices remain high, forcing devastating crop failures.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told G20 leaders that food and energy insecurity was threatening global famine.

He urged the renewal of the Black Sea grain initiative – which expires on Friday – to ensure safe passage of Ukrainian wheat to drive down global prices. The ­initiative brokered by Turkey ­allow the export of grain and fertilisers from Ukrainian ports.

Anthony Albanese delivers his keynote speech during the B20 Summit as part of the G20 dialogue. Picture: AFP

“My message on food is that we need urgent action to prevent famine and hunger in a growing number of places around the world,” Mr Guterres said.

“The Black Sea grain initiative has already helped to stabilise markets and bring food prices down. Every fraction of a per cent eases hunger and save lives.”

Earlier, Mr Widodo told Mr ­Albanese that he wanted the countries to join forces to build a global supply chain for electric vehicle batteries as the world’s largest producers of nickel and lithium.

The Indonesian President raised the issue during the two leaders’ bilateral meeting in Bali ahead of the G20 summit, and then publicly reiterated his invitation to Australia during his closing speech to the B20 international business forum.

“I said to Prime Minister Albanese, ‘In Australia there is lithium, we have nickel. Together we have the ingredients for batteries for EV cars’. But I’ve said to Prime Minister Albanese that perhaps the lithium can be brought to Indonesia. We can downstream (process) it together.”

Additional reporting: Dian Septiari