Severe drought, harsh winter impacted Afghan farmers: FAO

Kabul [Afghanistan]: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report that severe and widespread drought and a bitterly cold winter have impacted farmers in Afghanistan, reported TOLO News.

“Severe and widespread drought, in addition to an extremely harsh winter, have impacted farmers…,” reported the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Referring to Afghanistan, the FAO added that 80 percent of Afghan families are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.

“With 80 percent of families dependent on agriculture for their food and income, humanitarian livelihood support is critical,” FAO added.

The FAO mentioned in a report published in 2022, “Every USD $1 spent to protect rural livelihoods saved around USD $7 in additional humanitarian assistance, generated further income for Afghan families and supplied food in local markets.”

Moreover, the organization added that FAO requires USD 252.4 million to assist eight million people in Afghanistan in 2023, according to TOLO News.

Abdul Baseer Taraki, an economist, said that since the Taliban is not recognized, there is less assistance.

“Currently, our country is not recognized, the banking system is problematic, the business is down and we are forced to accept less than 30 to 40 percent of assistance,” he said.

However, Abdul Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy, said that the main reasons for poverty are the imposed sanctions on Afghanistan and the suspension of international assistance for infrastructural projects, reported TOLO News.

“The sanctions and freezing of Afghan assets will undoubtedly have their effects on the livelihood of the people of Afghanistan,” said Nazari.

Furthermore, in June, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report said that the estimated number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan has surged to 28.8 million from 28.3 million which was recorded at the beginning of 2023, according to TOLO News.