Mr Macron echoed the body’s concerns at a conference in Versailles. He said: “Europe and also Africa will be very deeply destabilised as regards food because of what can’t be planted right now in Ukraine.

“We will have to prepare for that and re-evaluate our production strategies to defend our food sovereignty… but also to be able to define a strategy concerning Africa.

Mr Macron said that without action, “several African countries will be affected by famines within 12 to 18 months precisely because of the war”.

Russia and Ukraine supply a quarter of the world’s wheat exports, while Egypt is the world’s biggest importer of wheat. Nearly half of Tunisia’s wheat imports come from Ukraine.

It came as UK farmers called on the Government to act urgently over fears that steep gas prices could lead to some food shortages as the fallout from the war engulfs the world’s food chains. 

Gas is a key ingredient in artificial fertiliser, and the National Farmers Union said that farmers must be able to use manure as an organic alternative as this becomes more scarce. Farmers are currently not allowed to spread manure on their fields in the autumn. 

Union officials also said that the UK should waive new rules for seasonal workers to allow them to enter the country in greater numbers amid labour shortages, and called for a loosening of planning policy to build more energy efficient buildings. 

George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, met with his G7 counterparts on Friday to discuss ways to mitigate the hit on global food security in light of Russia’s invasion of the country. 

He said: “Our thoughts remain with those affected by the terrible events in Ukraine. “We will work with global partners to ensure a resilient global food supply, and support Ukrainian farmers.”