By
Poppy Mcpherson, NAYPYITAW Myanmar
Food insecurity is rising sharply in Myanmar in the wake of the military coup and deepening financial crisis with millions more people expected to go hungry in coming months, the United Nations said on Thursday.
Up
to 3.4 million more people will struggle to afford food in the next three to
six months with urban areas worst affected as job losses mount in
manufacturing, construction and services and food prices rise, a World Food
Program (WFP) analysis shows.
"More
and more poor people have lost their jobs and are unable to afford food,"
country director Stephen Anderson said in a statement.
"A
concerted response is required now to alleviate immediate suffering, and to
prevent an alarming deterioration in food security."
The
WFP said market prices of rice and cooking oil had risen by 5% and 18%
respectively since the end of February, with signs that families in the
commercial capital of Yangon were skipping meals, eating less nutritious food,
and going into debt.
The
agency plans to expand operations, tripling to 3.3 million the number of people
it assists, and is appealing for $106 million, it said.
A Myanmar junta spokesman did not immediately answer phone calls to seek comment.
Myanmar’s
army seized power from the democratically elected civilian government on Feb.1,
plunging the Southeast Asian nation into turmoil and cracking down on mass
protests and a nationwide civil disobedience movement with brutal force,
killing more than 700 people, a monitoring group said.
The
crisis has brought the banking system to a standstill, shuttering many
branches, leaving businesses unable to make payments and customers unable to
withdraw cash.
Many
people depend on remittances from relatives abroad. Most imports and exports
have been halted and factories have closed.
The
World Bank forecasts Myanmar's GDP to contract 10% in 2021, a reversal of
previously positive trends.
Before
the coup, the WFP said about 2.8 million in Myanmar were considered food
insecure.
The
coronavirus pandemic took a heavy toll of the economy, which had been growing
as it emerged from decades of isolation and financial mismanagement under
former military governments.
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