The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) has said that 265 million people are facing acute food insecurity this year due to COVID-19 pandemic.
WFP said the economic fallout of the pandemic could mean millions will be without food this year.
Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the World Food Programme (WFP) said “COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread.”
He told journalists in Geneva that “We all need to come together to deal with this because if we don’t the cost will be too high – the global cost will be too high: many lost lives and many, many more lost livelihoods.”
Husain said there is the potential of people selling off their assets just to survive the pandemic and its associated economic effects.
He said many would need years to rebuild their lives if nothing is done to prevent the imminent threats of hunger and poverty.
“These were the people we were concerned about – those who were OK before COVID and now they are not,” he said.
Husain revealed how “really worried” he is about people living in countries with little or no government safety nets.
Africa is one of the places in the world to be hit hardest after desert locusts destroyed farm lands in east Africa even before the coronavirus pandemic.
WFP said it now needs $10-$12 billion in assistance programmes to support families across the vulnerable nations.
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Source: Africafeeds.com
