Beirut Blast To Exacerbate Food Security In Lebanon, Drive Food Prices Up - WFP

Beirut Blast to Exacerbate Food Security in Lebanon, Drive Food Prices Up - WFP

The World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday expressed concerns over the food security situation in Lebanon as the deadly blast, which hit Beirut earlier in the week, will disrupt food deliveries to the country and increase prices beyond the reach for many

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th August, 2020) The World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday expressed concerns over the food security situation in Lebanon as the deadly blast, which hit Beirut earlier in the week, will disrupt food deliveries to the country and increase prices beyond the reach for many.

"The explosion and the damage to the port will exacerbate the grim economic and food security situation in Lebanon. The country - prior to yesterday's devastating events - had already been undergoing the worst economic crisis in its history and it was being compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic," the WFP said in a statement

As the middle Eastern country imports almost 85 percent of its food, the damage to the Beirut port, which is the largest in the country, will disrupt food deliveries and "push food prices beyond the reach of many," the organization underlined.

"The price of a monthly food basket - that is a selection of staple food items a family needs -has more than doubled over the past six months ... These events come also at a time of soaring unemployment rates and salary cuts with many families struggling to make ends meet. Currently, one million people in Lebanon are living below the poverty line," the statement read.

The Lebanese capital was severely hit by the massive explosion late on August 4, with at least 137 people being killed and some 5,000 others injured, according to the latest data provided by the country's Health Ministry. Many are still missing.

Half of the city's buildings have been damaged, and hospitals are overcrowded due to a large number of blast victims. According to the authorities, the incident was caused by the improper storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The Lebanese government has announced a three-day mourning period for the victims of the tragedy starting on Wednesday.