Lebanon heading for major food crisis: UN

ROME: Lebanon is heading for a "major food crisis" with the mass flight of people and damage to infrastructure hampering food imports and the country's main cereal harvest, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Wednesday.

"These factors combined provide the recipe for a major food crisis," Henri Josserand, head of FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System, said in a statement.

"Domestic cereal output usually covers only about 10 perc ent of consumption requirements, and the country depends heavily on imports for such essential food items as wheat, rice, sugar and milk powder," he added.

Even before the current conflict, the Lebanese economy had been struggling, with low foreign investment, a worsening balance of payments and an external debt estimated in 2005 at 165 percent of gross domestic product.

An estimated 500,000 Lebanese have been displaced, and a further 200,000 are estimated to have fled into neighbouring countries. Food, fuel and medical supplies have been disrupted, and large parts of the country's infrastructure lie in ruins.

The fighting has made assessment of the country's agriculture needs difficult, the Rome-based FAO added, and the organisation is ready to field an assessment team to the
region "as soon as the security situation allows."

The United Nations yesterday launched an appeal for nearly 150 million dollars for food, health care, logistics, water and sanitation, protection and common services.