Continued violence disrupts Yemen’s food imports

The political unrest in Yemen is affecting the country’s food imports, with commercial suppliers staying away from exporting their products to the country.

Yemen imports close to 90% of its food, which includes a large quantity of wheat and 100% of its rice, for a population of around 25 million, reports Reuters.

The country has been embroiled in political conflict between the current president Hadi and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied with the Shiite rebels, Houthis.

It was declared to be at the edge of civil war by the United Nations recently, after Houthi rebels took over an international airport in south Yemen. Violent attacks have been reported for the past few months, with numerous assaults on its international airports.

Around 25 people were killed in an attack at a dairy factory at the Houthi-controled west coast port of Hodaida, which further hampered the country’s food production.

The Saba News agency said that the country had enough basic foodstocks to last for six months in all provinces, and 930,100 tonnes of wheat stock on the day the air strikes began.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that there was a possibility of the stock depleting quickly.

Reuters quoted the FAO representative in Yemen, Salah ElHajj Hassan as saying: "Although government sources reported sufficient stocks to last the country about six months, the conflict will likely negatively impact distribution, market availability and prices of foodstuffs sooner than earlier expected."

The food imports have been further hampered by the collapse of central authority and fighting on several fronts including Aden, one of Yemen’s main ports.

The continuing violence has also made it difficult for agencies like the UN’s World Food Program to continue their loading operations.