141 million people in Middle East facing food insecurity

IMF: Those on the breadline tell that they have changed eating habits to keep from going hungry.

More than 141 million people in the Arab world are exposed to food insecurity, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, said in Riyadh on Monday, as the organisation approved a new food shock borrowing window for vulnerable countries.Ms Georgieva said that 48 countries around the world are particularly exposed to the food crisis, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine chokes crop supplies, about 10-20 are likely to be asking (for emergency assistance),” she said.

Restrictions in order to ease the situation and plans to fund the food shock window using last year’s Special Drawing Rights allocations. the window will be open for a year for countries with urgent balance of payment needs that are suffering from acute food insecurity, a sharp food imports shock, or from a cereals export shock.”

The IMF did not mention any specific countries that would be eligible for low-condition emergency loans under the new window.