WTO head says global supply chain problems could continue for months

The head of  the World Trade Organization (WTO) has said global supply chain problems could drag on for several months as shipping companies struggle to bridge a supply-demand mismatch and counter a persistent shortage of  containers.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says trillions of  dollars of  pandemic-related stimulus were feeding into a surge in consumer demand, prompting businesses to hoard hard-to-come-by inventory.

In an interview at the Financial Times Africa Summit, the WTO director-general said there's panic over the supply chain challenges.

She added that shipping companies had not anticipated the strength of  the global economic recovery and had cut down on the availability of  containers, which were left in the wrong places, so now there's a container shortage.

Challenges in the international supply chain have triggered an increase in food prices in Jamaica.