By NNN-PTI
New York : Extreme cold has devastated the Afghan livestock sector, killing over 3,00,000 animals since late December and seriously affecting livelihoods, a new United Nations report said.
High prices for fuel, vegetable oil and cereals are compounding the vulnerability of poor households, reducing their access to food, it added.
The harshest winter weather conditions in nearly 30 years have killed over 800 people, and many others, notably shepherds and their families, have suffered severe frostbite, requiring disabling amputation, the report by Food and Agriculture (FAO) said.
Food and medical supplies have been running short as roads in remote areas remain blocked by heavy snowfall. Winter crops in the hardest-hit areas have been severely damaged, in particular vegetables, which are the main source of nutrition during the lean winter months, it added.
“The situation is very worrying,” said Samuel Kugbei, acting FAO Representative in Afghanistan.
“Livestock are a lifeline for many of the affected households, whose food situation is already precarious. Without assistance, they risk even greater food insecurity,” he said.
In collaboration with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, FAO has distributed 20 metric tons of feed in Herat, one of the hardest-hit provinces. FAO is also providing 60 metric tons of feed concentrate to the worst-affected farmers in Bamyan Province.