21st April, 2020
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said that the number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year due to the economic fallout of COVID-19.
The agency said about 265 million people around the world might suffer from hunger as restrictions has hindered farmers’ efforts.
“COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread,” said Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the World Food Programme (WFP).
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have hit nearly 2.5 million globally.
Businesses are coping with lost revenue and disrupted supply chains as factory shutdowns and quarantine measures spread across the globe, restricting movement and commerce.
Unemployment is skyrocketing, while policymakers across countries race to implement fiscal and monetary measures to alleviate the financial burden on citizens and shore up economies under severe strain.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 9 April said the coronavirus pandemic had instigated an economic downturn the likes of which the world has not experienced since the Great Depression.
