WFP says 55 percent of Syria going hungry
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A new report by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), two UN bodies, says 12.1 million Syrians, or around 55 percent of the country, are going hungry, the second-highest rate worldwide.
According to a 2022 survey, food insecurity in Syria is spread out across all regions of the country. Damascus, Aleppo, Daraa, Idlib, Turkish-occupied regions, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, the Jazira region (Hasakah Governorate), and coastal areas are all affected.
The 2023 report says that key drivers of food insecurity in Syria are a “protracted economic crisis, [the February 6] earthquakes, conflict, [and] erratic rainfall.”
Crop production has been disrupted by fuel shortages and drought, while food has become less affordable due to the devaluation of the Syrian pound, which today stands at around 8,867 to the US dollar. At this time last year, it was worth less than 4,000.
“The 2023 crop production will be constrained by lack of affordable inputs, and potentially affected in some areas by erratic rainfall between November 2022 and April 2023,” the report predicts.
“Acute food insecurity is likely to increase further due to deteriorating economic conditions and the effects of the earthquakes,” it continues. “Around 5.9 million children and women require nutrition assistance in 2023 – an increase of 18 percent compared to 2022.”
The WFP and FAO say a humanitarian response plan for 2023 calls for $1.872 billion in order to cover food security and livelihood interventions in Syria.