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Without WFP Aid, Four Million Syrians Would Go Hungry

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 9 2013 (IPS) - The Syrian food crisis has become so severe that without aid from the World Food Programme (WFP), millions of Syrians would go hungry.

The ongoing armed conflict in Syria, which began early 2011, has caused serious damage to farms and infrastructure and has left millions of people displaced. According to a joint report by WFP and the  Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about four million Syrians are unable to buy or produce food, a number that is expected to rise in months to come.

“Assuming that the present crisis remains unresolved, domestic production over the next 12  months will be severely compromised,” the report stated.

Muhannad Hadi, WFP Emergency Coordinator for Syria, highlighted the urgent need for WFP to continue delivering food aid in Syria because the people would have no means of sustaining themselves otherwise.

“The situation in Syria is getting very difficult,” Hadi told reporters Tuesday. “[The people] don’t have credit cards; they can’t borrow; prices have skyrocketed where food is available. We’ve gotten to the stage in many places that it’s either food delivered by WFP, or people will go hungry.”

WFP delivered food aid to 2.5 million people in Syria in June and seeks to feed three million people in July. By October, WFP plans to reach four million, Hadi said.

In some parts of the country, the price of wheat flour has doubled between 2011 and 2013, according to the WFP report. As a result, WFP began to distribute wheat flour, in addition to rice, pasta, canned beans, oil and sugar in each package designed to meet the needs for a family in Syria.

The WFP operation team currently reaches all 14 governorates of Syria, but each region has its own complexities, Hadi explained. The team delivers food aid to both government and non-government controlled areas. Often, explosions and crossfire prevent the staff from entering certain regions and from implementing pre-planned operations.

“Our main challenge is in conflict areas,” Hadi said. “We are reaching all 14 governorates, but there are those pockets of the hotspots that we’re not reaching.”

Hadi warned that funding for WFP’s Syrian operation is vital. The humanitarian agency needs $27 million every week to feed the four million people in Syria and approximately 3 million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries.

“It’s important that the international community stands by the Syrian people until this crisis is over,” Hadi said.

 
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