Brasília – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned on Wednesday (11) that, despite estimates that the global production of grain should reach record figures this year, 34 countries, including Syria, are living a situation of food insecurity and need foreign assistance – 27 in Africa. The forecast is for production to grow 7% in 2013 as against 2012.
The calculation is that global wheat production should grow 6.8%, recovering the drop last year. Global production of rice should rise 1.9% this year.
Countries like Syria, in crisis for 28 months, are recording food insecurity and need external assistance. In Syria, there has been a reduction in production of wheat, as agricultural activity has been interrupted. Production of meats was also affected. The estimate is that around 4 million people are in a serious situation of food insecurity.
Egypt, which has been facing a series of violent protests since 2012, is also a reason for concern, according to the FAO. Attention is turned to the Central-African Republic, the Congo, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan which are suffering with low agricultural production, worsened by the crisis that has increases food insecurity.
*Translated by Mark Ament
