UN Increasingly Concerned About Increases in Food Costs in Syria - Spokesman

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2020) The United Nations is seriously concerned about the rapidly growing food costs in Syria as it already witnessed a 133 percent increase in prices last year, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing on Monday.

"We are increasingly concerned about rapidly rising food prices in Syria, where more than 11 million women, children and men urgently need humanitarian assistance," Dujarric said. "Prices have more than doubled in the last year, rising by 133 percent across the country."

Dujarric noted that the price of a standard food basket in May has soared by 11 percent, compared to April.

Idlib became the worst impacted governorate with a 30 percent increase in the food basket price in just one month.

At the same time, families are coping with the effects the measures imposed to fight the novel coronavirus have on agriculture and livestock production, Dujarric said.

The impacts are threatening food security across the entire country, he added.

According to the World Food Program, 9.3 million people across Syria are food insecure.