Gaza, 12 April 2022 (TDI): The cost of staple food items in Palestine has increased by 25% due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the existing wheat flour reserves might exhaust in the coming three weeks.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict had ravaged the purchasing power of the households in Palestine. World Food Program (WFP) statistics suggest that the war in Ukraine has increased the prices of essential commodities.
This includes an increase in the price of wheat flour by 23.6%, corn oil by 26.3%, table salt by 30%, and lentils by 17.6%. The absence of food storage infrastructure had enhanced reliance on the private sector and Israel for food supplies.
Currently, Palestine imports 95% of its wheat and half of its grains and cereals from Ukraine. The impact of rising global food prices is immense in Palestine, as many households are struggling to meet their basic needs.
The current socio-political condition, military occupation, violence, and land snatching worsen the food crisis, remarked Shane Stevenson, Oxfam Country Director, Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.
The cost of animal feed has increased by 60% in the West Bank, exposing hundreds of Palestinian farmers and animal husbandry to outbreaks of diseases.
The Palestinian Farmer Union urges the government to remove the value-added tax (VAT) on fodder. The situation is worsening due to displacement and violent attacks by Israel to push them off their lands.
Area C in the West Bank Territory has fertile lands to solve the Palestinian food crisis. However, Israeli authorities have rejected 99% of the development plans in this area.
Area C is administered by Israel and covers over 60 percent of the West Bank. Approximately 300,000 Palestinians live in 532 residential areas in Area C. 400,000 Israeli settlers reside in the same area.
“The sector is on its last breath and needs to be supported before it completely crashes, Abbas Melhem, Palestinian Farmers’ Union.
Oxfam is advocating the Palestinian food crisis by calling on the international community to adopt and coordinate economic and diplomatic positions to challenge Israel’s restrictive policies and allow them to invest in local food and infrastructure development.
Oxfam believes that the international community must not forget their responsibility towards Palestine suffering from imperialist policies and practices with an exemption.
