Global commodity inflation, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, threatens to leave 14 million people in Latin America in a situation of food insecurityalmost 50% more than the current figure, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned today at a press conference.
Currently there are about 9.7 million people in that situation of food insecurity in the 13 countries of the region in which the WFP works, which tries to alleviate food shortages with imports from regional producers such as Mexico or Argentina, indicated the director of the organization for the region, Lola Castro.
Castro pointed out at a press conference in Geneva that the increase in food prices the higher costs of sea and air transport are addedwhich in the region have multiplied by seven, so that among the nations particularly affected are the island nations of the Caribbean.
Castro gave as an example the problems to import food in Cuba, the Dominican Republic or Haitithe latter country where food inflation has reached 26 percent.
"The region had suffered a multiple crisis due to climate change and the pandemic that put 17.7 million people in a situation of food insecurity, at the end of 2021 the figure had dropped to 8.3 million but with the Ukraine crisis, Latin America returns to be greatly affected"analyzed.
Castro explained that although Russia and Ukraine do not export large quantities of cereals and other foods to the region, the general rise in food prices throughout the global market has seriously affected many countries in the area, which in some cases are net importers of these goods. basics.
I affirm that "the consequences are already being seen" of the food crisis with an increase in migratory flows from the south to the north of the continentincluding routes as dangerous as the Darien crossing that separates South America from Panama.
"That route was crossed by 5,000 people in 2020, but in 2021 the number increased to 151,000. A route without roads where people have to walk 10 days through the jungle, where many people die and which is one of the most dangerous in the world"he underlined.
"Unless we do something we are going to see an increase in this mass migration, we need to respond immediately and governments and communities have to find solutions"highlighted the head of PMA in Latin America.
