Contact:
Newsfox Desk
Phone: + 43 - 1 - 811 40 - 319
E-Mail: editor@newsfox.com
| Pressbox | 
|
Rome/ Baghdad (pte037/04.04.2003/13:52) - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) http://www.fao.org has warned of a total depletion of Iraq's granary as a result of war.
Two thirds of Iraq's 25 million inhabitants currently survives on aid supplied through the FAO project "Oil for Food". If the winter harvest cannot be collected, the country could face an even more extreme hunger crisis. The FAO fears that the war could completely destroy the country's agricultural infrastructure, and has approved an 86m dollar emergency plan to try to prevent this from happening.
Farmers in Iraq need seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, machines, petrol, spare parts and other materials to effectively cultivate their crops and collect the winter harvest, as well as sew seeds for the next year. The country is also in dire need of animal feed, vaccines and other veterinary preparations.
The FAO's greatest worry however is the upcoming winter wheat and barley harvest, which is supposed to bring in between 1.5 and 1.7 million tons of grain. The harvest usually begins at the end of April. "If this harvest is not collected, the food shortage in the country would become severe," said Laurent Thomas, FAO expert for special emergency programmes. "We are doing everything we can to make sure the wheat is harvested," said Thomas. Over half the population depends on this harvest.
The 86-million-dollar emergency project should also ensure that new seeds for vegetables, maize and rice can be planted after the harvest. The FAO has warned that a disruption of Iraq's water supply would have a long term effect on the population.
Before the war, Iraq produced up to 155,000 tons of chicken meat and two billion eggs a year. The lack of veterinary facilities and medicine could ruin the poultry industry. The FAO has also warned of a potential outbreak of foot and mouth disease among the countries 1.5 million cows and 18 million sheep and goats. (newsfox-special Iraq)
(end)
|
|
