U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions from the news media after delivering remarks on administration plans to fight inflation and lower costs during a speech in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building's South Court Auditorium at the White House in W
U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions from the news media after delivering remarks on administration plans to fight inflation and lower costs during a speech in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building's South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, U. Reuters / LEAH MILLIS

U.S. President Joe Biden will seek to highlight how Russia's war on Ukraine has affected global food prices during a visit to a family farm in Illinois on Wednesday.

The visit comes as the White House is struggling to rein in inflation on many fronts, from gasoline to food. U.S. gas prices hit record highs on Tuesday, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February dramatically worsened the outlook for food prices.

New data on Wednesday showed U.S. consumer prices rose at a slower, but still significantly elevated, pace. The Labor Department said prices across the economy rose 8.3% over the twelve months through April. Food prices alone gained 9.4% over that period.

The U.N. food agency recently said food prices hit an all-time record in February and again in March. Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat and barley, and two-thirds of the world's exports of sunflower oil used for cooking.

"He's going to talk about the support we need to continue to give to farmers to help continue to produce more and more domestically to help address the food shortages that we're seeing in some parts of the world," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.

Biden will announce actions aimed at helping U.S. farmers boost food production and lower food prices, including doubling funding for domestic fertilizer production and increasing technical help for nutrient management tools, the White House said. The administration will also increase the number of counties eligible for double cropping insurance for planting a second crop on the same land in the same year, it said.

Biden will also speak at the 40th International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers International Convention. The convention was originally scheduled for last August and delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden is expected to speak about his support for unions, infrastructure investments and the energy industry, Psaki said.