UN: Rising food insecurity crippling Afghanistan

The 2015 Seasonal Food Security Assessment in Afghanistan (SFSA) found that at the peak of the lean season the number of Afghans facing severe food insecurity increased from 4.7% of the population 12 months ago to 5.9% today. 

This means more than 1.5m people are now considered severely food insecure, an increase of more than 317,000. Another 7.3m—more than one in every four Afghans—are classed as moderately food insecure.

Of greatest concern is the finding that the proportion of severely food insecure people who have already exhausted their capacity to cope with these emergencies has increased, meaning many more are now forced to sell land, take children out of school to work, or depend on relatives for support. 

The SFSA report indicated that the number of people engaged in these last ditch-actions had doubled over the past year to more than 20% of food-insecure people across the country. This will leave even more Afghans significantly vulnerable to extreme poverty, it said.

"When people resort to these measures, they have no resilience against future shocks​," said Claude Jibidar, country director of the UN World Food Programme in Afghanistan. 

"These figures are extremely alarming, especially in a country where more than one-third of all people are already food insecure. This report could portent a future spike in the next 12 months in the need for food and other humanitarian assistance​."

Although the country is expected produce slightly more wheat this year, a large number of poor and hungry will not be able to by food from markets, said Tomio Shichiri, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s representative in Afghanistan. 

"It is a question of access to food rather than its production. Special attention needs to be given to female-headed households and displaced people to improve their access to, and improvements of, agriculture-based livelihoods​." 

The report showed that female-headed households are almost 50% more likely to be severely food insecure than other households in Afghanistan, having a much poorer diet than their peers and a much lower income. 

Women who head their households are also twice as likely to use emergency coping strategies, such as begging. People displaced from their homes by conflicts or disasters, particularly those living in tents, also suffer from poor diets.  

Khost and Paktika provinces, which host more than 35,000 displaced households (over 200,000 people), need immediate support to prevent food insecurity from worsening, it said.  

"It is striking to know that one-third of the Afghan population is food insecure and their situation continues to worsen​," said Assadullah Zamir, Afghanistan’s agriculture minister. "We request the donor community to continue assisting the most vulnerable Afghans before it becomes too late​."

HUL offloads Modern breads to Everstone​

Hindustan Unilever last week agreed to sell its Modern bread and bakery business to Nimman Foods, part of the Everstone Group, for an undisclosed sum. 

HUL is in the process of exiting some of its non-core businesses, with Modern featuring in this category. Instead, the company is focusing on its packaged foods operations.

The transaction, which includes the sale and transfer of the brand as a going concern, is subject to statutory approvals and requisite clearances, with the process expected to take several months. HUL said it would continue to manage operations until the deal is completed.

Sanjiv Mehta, chief executive of HUL, said: “Modern is an iconic brand which has been delighting consumers over the years through its range of high-quality bread and value-added bakery products​. 

“Since [Modern’s] acquisition in 2000, HUL has strengthened the Modern business, driven consistent topline growth and significantly improved profitability.  Having turned around the business and built a sustainable growth model, we believe that the sale to Everstone will unlock the full potential of the Modern brand​”.

Modern currently operates six of its own manufacturing units alongside a network of franchisees across India.

Britannia considers Andhra Pradesh agro-processing site​

Biscuit and snack major Britannia is mulling plans to set up an agro-processing facility in Andhra Pradesh worth Rs1.25bn (US$18.5m).

Managing director Varun Berry said that the company could commission the first phase of the project in Chittoor district by the end of next year to supply markets in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, including Bengaluru and Chennai.

Obviously supportive, AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu met with Berry to demonstrate his government’s support of the agriculture and food industries.

Around 75% of Britannia's business is generated through the biscuits segment, with the rest coming in from cakes, dairy, rusk, according to Economic Times​.

Naidu suggested that Britannia could explore dairy sector options in the state.