On Tuesday, the United Nations warned that millions of Ukrainians are at risk of serious food shortages due to the ongoing war.
The alert comes from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It follows an assessment of 19 of Ukraine’s 24 regions, which indicated that it was uncertain that Ukraine could harvest crops, plant new ones or sustain livestock production.
“An immediate and worrying finding is that food shortages are expected immediately or in the next three months in over 40 per cent of the surveyed areas and cases,” said Rein Paulsen, FAO Director, Office of Emergencies and Resilience.
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“When it comes to the all-important production of vegetables, conflict is likely to severely disrupt production for tens of thousands of smallholder farmers, those who have decided to stay behind.”
According to the UN, People are facing life-and death decisions on whether to leave the Ukrainian city of Mariupol or not. To help support the wider relief effort, the FAO has appealed for $50 million but it is only 10 per cent funded.
