Food shortage: 40 million dollars released in Cambodia

Cambodge Soir

08-10-2008

Almost half a million Cambodians are facing malnourishment in the provinces of the Tonle Sap region and in Phnom Penh.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will pay 35 million dollars and the Cambodian government 5 million in order to help the people affected by the crisis, was said on Wednesday 8 October.

The 500,000 beneficiaries of this aid live mostly in the provinces of Tonle Sap (Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pursat, Siem Reap, Kampong Thom and Kampong Chhnang, Oddor Meanchey) and in the poor neighbourhoods of Phnom Penh.

Food shortage results from a brutal increase of basic food products: the price of peeled rice has doubled, the one of meat and fish increased with 30 to 50%. The food situation of the farmers is also weakened by the price of fertilisers which tripled.

“The Cambodian families spend approximately 60% of their revenue to buy food”, indicated Arjun Goswami, ADB director in Cambodia, during a press conference organised on Wednesday 8 October.

The children from primary schools are particularly vulnerable. One Cambodian child out of three is already affected by malnourishment. “The ADB has to protect these children because malnourishment can influence their physical and mental development”, announced Arjun Goswami, adding that the real needs of the Tonle Sap region in order to face this crisis would reach about 80 million dollars.

35% of the 13.4 million Cambodians are living below the poverty threshold.