The Middle East and North Africa region, which is currently celebrating the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, is experiencing a deepening food security crisis caused by high food inflation and collapsing currencies. Millions of people across the region are affected, especially those living in countries prone to conflict and instability.
Food prices are skyrocketing and many countries in the region are facing dramatic budget deficits, high levels of public debt, currency devaluation and perilous levels of inflation.
In five countries in the region, food price inflation has exceeded 60 percent this year alone, with Lebanon and Syria at 138 percent and 105 percent respectively. In Iran, Turkey and Egypt, annual food inflation is above 61 percent, with households struggling to afford essential groceries such as bread, rice and vegetables.
Domestic food production is unable to meet domestic needs and heavy import dependency has left the region vulnerable to fluctuations in global food prices, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, as well as supply chain disruptions caused more recently by the pandemic COVID-19.
“The region’s dependence on food imports means that millions of people, especially the poorest, become vulnerable when internal or external shocks drive up food prices,” said Arif Husain, WFP’s chief economist. “It is the combination of high food inflation, collapsing currencies and stagnant incomes that prevents households from having food on their tables.”
Global food prices remain at a ten-year high despite a slight decline in recent months. “These fluctuations will not dent domestic food inflation in countries facing a toxic combination of free-falling currency values and high inflation,” Husain added.
According to February data, of the 15 countries on WFP’s list of countries to watch from a currency devaluation perspective, four are in this region. In Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Iran, currencies have depreciated between 45 and 71 percent in the past 12 months alone.
“In 2019, the average Syrian household’s income was enough to buy more than double the food they needed each month,” said Kenn Crossley, WFP Director and Representative in Syria. “Today, with that same income, which hasn’t increased, only a quarter of what a family needs can be bought.”
At the same time, conflict and the worsening climate crisis have limited food production across the region. In Iraq and Syria, prolonged drought and the effects of conflict have reduced crop areas and food production. The region has been hit hard by the climate crisis and is experiencing prolonged periods of drought and heatwaves, fires, floods, erratic rainfall and landslides.
In the face of this crisis, it becomes crucial that governments, international organizations and donor countries take action to address food security across the region. This means increased funding for humanitarian assistance, support for local farmers to increase food production, and addressing the root causes of conflict and instability in the region.
“Governments need to invest more in agriculture across the region, almost all countries are dependent on imports,” said Corinne Fleischer, WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe. “This is a long-term strategy that won’t help the poor cope with price hikes now, but one that will pay dividends in a few years.”
The number of food insecure people across the region has increased by 20 percent in the past three years, reaching more than 41 million people, compared to 2019.
In response, WFP is implementing interventions with an integrated approach, which address the root causes of food insecurity, while addressing immediate needs. In 2023, WFP plans to assist nearly 35 million people across the region with food and nutrition assistance and work to increase the resilience of the most vulnerable in the face of regional and global shocks.
Source: In Dies
