A month-long drought is threatening to exacerbate a hunger crisis in Syria, as wheat might be scarce this year due to poor harvests, according to UN estimates.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expects wheat harvest to be "way down" this season compared to last year, FAO representative in Syria Michael Robson told dpa.
The Welthungerhilfe, a German charity whose name loosely translates as World Food Aid, warned that the number of people dependent on humanitarian aid would increase drastically.
"The hunger situation of the people in Syria is already absolutely catastrophic today," said Syria coordinator Konstantin Witschel.
He said the charity was looking at the harvest with great concern.
"People have no reserves left and must not be left alone with this drought," Witschel urged. "Food will become even scarcer, and prices for bread, vegetables and fruits will continue to rise."
The FAO didn't give exact numbers regarding the wheat harvest, however.
A representative of the Kurdish autonomous region in the north of the country said he was expecting wheat harvest there to collapse by 45 percent. The Kurdish-controlled region is considered vital for Syria’s wheat supplies.
The country has been battered by 10 years of civil war, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Syria has also been suffering from a severe economic crisis since 2019.
According to the World Food Program (WFP), about 12 million Syrians, or almost 60 percent of the population, don't have enough to eat.
