An extra 45 million people are projected to be pushed into acute hunger because of rises in food, oil and shipping costs, putting the global tally above its current record level of 319 million, WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau told reporters in Geneva last week.
“This would take global hunger levels to an all-time record and it’s a terrible, terrible prospect,” he said. “Already, before this war, we were in a perfect storm where hunger has never been as severe as now, in terms of numbers and how deep that hunger is,” he added.
The timing is especially dangerous.
Fertilizer shortages are hitting just as planting seasons begin across much of Africa and Asia.
“In the worst case, this means lower yields and crop failures next season,” Skau said. “In the best case, higher input costs will be included in food prices next year.”
East African nations, which import massive amounts of fertilizer
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