The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CYMMT) announced plans to take action to improve the global wheat supply amid crop losses and political upheaval during the international Summit on Wheat for Food Security.  Among discussions was the outbreak of a strain of stem rust that destroyed more than 10,000 hectares of wheat in Ethiopia, which is the largest producer of wheat in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The loss is expected to impact markets in East Africa and the Middle East.  The Ukrainian political crisis already affects these regions that rely on wheat exports from the Crimea region.

CYMMT also announced a new multinational partnership to increase wheat production around the globe.  The goal of the partnership is to increase wheat yields by 50 percent over the next twenty years.  The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) leads the partnership with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of the United Kingdom, the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food of Mexico, and CYMMT.  The director of CYMMT's Global Wheat Program emphasized the importance of the partnership for the health of the world and said, "wheat is a key source of calories and protein for 4.5 billion people in more than 100 countries.  Research focused on yield improvements is critical for them."