Locust swarms due in June raise risk of food crisis
INTERNATIONAL – The United Nations agency leading the fight against a desert-locust upsurge in East Africa will lodge a new appeal for funding next week, warning the plague could still cause a food crisis.
The Food and Agricultural Organization plans to ask its partners for about $110 million on May 20, according to the agency’s Nairobi-based Resilience Team Leader Cyril Ferrand.
Funding needs may increase to $450 million as the FAO prepares to fight swarms seen moving to the Sahel region and Pakistan, according to Ferrand. The agency has so far received an estimated $130 million in payments and pledges.
Source: iol.co.za
