Moscow, 14 March 2022 (dpa/MIA) — Russia plans to limit its exports of barley, rye and wheat in an effort to ensure adequate supplies for its people while protecting them from sharp price hikes, Russian government Deputy Chairperson Viktoria Abramchenko said on Monday. The export restrictions are to start on Tuesday and remain in place until June 30. The restrictions will also apply to maize and mixed grains. There will also be a ban on the export of sugar and raw sugar products, which will last through the end of August. Some exports would continue based on quotas and existing licences, Abramchenko added. There will be exceptions for exports to country's in the Eurasian Economic Union, a trade pact centred on Russia, as well as to the separatist Luhansk and Donetsk republics in Ukraine, control of which has been central to the lengthy stand-off between Russia and Ukraine that sparked the current war. Russia is the world's largest grain exporter. Ukraine is also a key exporter. Disruptions to exports from either are likely to lead to massive price hikes on global grain markets. UN Secretary General António Guterres noted on Monday that 45 African and least-developed countries import at least one-third of their wheat from either Russia or Ukraine. "We must do everything possible to avert a hurricane of hunger and a meltdown of the global food system," he said, announcing a new crisis response group to address the problem.