The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced that there is an increase in the number of countries that need external assistance for food.
The rise in food prices and the shortage of local commodities have exacerbated the conditions of food insecurity in the world, including in Lebanon.
The organization explained in its monthly report that the global price index for food commodities recorded a slight decline in June as a result of the decline in international prices of vegetable oils, grains, and sugar, in contrast to the increase in the prices of dairy and meat.
“The wars and local conflicts have exacerbated the conditions of food insecurity in many parts of the world,” it said in a statement.
“Also Ukraine, where the war led to a large number of displaced people, joined the list, and Sri Lanka, which is witnessing a complex crisis that led to high prices and a severe shortage of food”, it added.
The organization pointed out that the Asian countries that need foreign food aid are Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Myanmar, North Korea, and Sri Lanka.
Regarding Lebanon, the report mentioned: “According to the World Food Program surveys conducted in September and December 2021, approximately 1.8 million Lebanese citizens (46 percent of the total population) are suffering from food insecurity.”
Adding to them. 735,000 Syrian refugees (49 percent of the total number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon) are also facing food shortages.
The report continued: “In other parts of the region, although food security outcomes are still more favorable, poor households who spend a significant portion of their expenditures on food are more likely to be affected by higher food prices.”
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