Ebola outbreak 'hits food prices'

Food in countries hit by Ebola is getting more expensive and will become scarcer because many farmers will not be able to access fields, a UN food agency has warned.

Ebola outbreak 'hits food prices'

Food in countries hit by Ebola is getting more expensive and will become scarcer because many farmers will not be able to access fields, a UN food agency has warned.

An Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 1,500 people, and authorities have cordoned off entire towns in an effort to halt the virus’ spread.

Surrounding countries have closed land borders, many airlines have suspended flights to and from the affected countries and seaports are seeing less traffic, restricting food imports to the hardest-hit countries. Those countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – all rely on grain from abroad to feed their people, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

In one market in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, the price of cassava root, a staple in many West African diets, was up 150%.

“Even prior to the Ebola outbreak, households in some of the affected areas were spending up to 80% of their incomes on food,” said Vincent Martin, who is co-ordinating the agency’s response to the crisis. “Now these latest price spikes are effectively putting food completely out of their reach.”

The UN has said 1.3 million people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone will need help feeding themselves in coming months.

The situation looks likely worsen, FAO said, because restrictions on movement are preventing labourers from accessing farms, and the harvest of rice and corn is set to begin in a few weeks.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is asking countries to lift border closures because they are preventing supplies from reaching people in desperate need. Ivory Coast decided last night to keep its borders with Guinea and Liberia closed but said it would open a humanitarian corridor to allow supplies in.

The world’s worst-ever Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1,500 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

more courts articles

Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman
Coronation Street actor William Roache (91) given three months to settle tax debt Coronation Street actor William Roache (91) given three months to settle tax debt

More in this section

Mike Lynch court case Fallen tech star Mike Lynch painted as fraud mastermind in Hewlett-Packard trial
Fani Willis Trump seeks to appeal against decision not to disqualify DA in Georgia case
Ohio woman given life after child died when she left her alone to go on holiday Ohio woman given life after child died when she left her alone to go on holiday
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited