by Jared Ferrie | @jaredferrie | Thomson Reuters Foundation Tuesday, 29 May 2018 13:57 GMT May 29 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Millions of Afghans face hunger after a drought decimated crops in the war-ravaged country, U.N. officials said on Tuesday, calling for an extra $115 million to help families buy food.
Some rivers and water points have totally dried up, and the last wheat harvest has been "completely lost", according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
"Six months down the road, millions of people could be in a situation of untenable hunger without knowing where their next meal will come from," said Toby Lanzer, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan.
Already, the drought has forced 21,000 people to leave their homes and settle on the outskirts of the western city of Herat, said OCHA.
"People prefer cash, which allows them to buy what they need most," he said.
The U.N. is revising its humanitarian appeal for 2018 because of the drought, and says it needs an extra $115 million to help 1.4 million of the hardest-hit people.
The drought has also hurt nomadic herders known as Kuchis, as pasturelands have dried up in some areas, including the northeastern provinces of Badakhshan and Kunduz.
Prices for sheep have fallen by as much as 40 percent, but many Kuchis are selling them out of desperation, according to OCHA’s report.
"In Helmand, village elders reportedly need to obtain special approval from the armed groups controlling their districts to access markets in areas under government control," said the bulletin.
The cost of wheat shot up by 50 percent and produce prices quadrupled in Kandahar City when roads were temporarily closed in April due to fighting, it said.