By Bibi Amina Hakimi in TOLOnews, July 24, 2023 at 8:59 PM
The Food and Agriculture Organization reported that “severe and widespread drought, in addition to an extremely harsh winter, have impacted farmers…”
The FAO, referring to Afghanistan, said “with 80 percent of families dependent on agriculture for their food and income, humanitarian livelihood support is critical.”
In 2022, the FAO said in a report, “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.”
FAO requires USD $252.4 million to assist 8 million people in Afghanistan in 2023, the organization said.
Abdul Baseer Taraki, an economist, said that as the Islamic Emirate is not recognized, the amount of aid is less to Afghanistan.
“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.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Economy, Abdul Latif Nazari, said that the imposed sanctions on Afghanistan and suspension of international assistance for infrastructural projects are the main reasons for poverty.
“The sanctions and freezing of Afghan assets will undoubtedly have their effects on the livelihood of the people of Afghanistan,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy.
Last June, An OCHA report said that the estimated number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan has increased to “28.8 million (up from 28.3 million at the beginning of 2023).”
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-184341
