Prices of staple food items in Pakistan had increased by 17 percent ahead of Ramazan, making food much expensive for people compared to last year, an Oxfam survey reveals. According to Oxfam, the price of vegetables rose by 14 percent, wheat by 3 percent, rice by 3 percent, chicken by 19 percent and milk by 1 percent in July compared to last year.
As opposed to other countries, Pakistan has enough stocks of staple food but the wavering economy and rising inflation have pushed tens of millions below the poverty line. With increased poverty and hike in the food prices, more and more Pakistanis are eating less and less.
Rising food prices and lack of political will affected millions of people across the world and it is clear how they have now been breaking their fasts during the holy month of Ramazan. "For many people around the world Ramazan is a time of spiritual reflection and remembering those that are less fortunate. We must ensure that people always have enough to eat, especially at the end of a fast when people need to replenish themselves." said Penny Lawrence International Director for Oxfam.
One of the starkest examples is in East Africa, where more than 12 million people are facing desperate food shortages following the worst drought in 60 years. For the majority of people in Kenya's Dadaab, the largest refugee camp in the world, where tens of thousands of people have recently arrived fleeing the famine and conflict in Somalia, this is a trying period. In Bangladesh food inflation was recorded as 13.4 percent in July 2011. Since the beginning of Ramazan prices of all staples except rice have increased significantly. Because of the price hike, millions of people across the country don't have adequate food.
In Yemen, families have been saying that sugar, rice and wheat are more expensive this Ramazan and for many there this has been one of the toughest Ramazan. One desperate woman said she had been worrying about what she would be breaking her fast with that evening as she couldn't afford food. "Everything has become expensive since last Ramazan, sugar, rice and wheat." she said.
With one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, nearly 80 percent of people in Gaza depend on some form of humanitarian assistance to survive. Despite high levels of food aid, the World Food Programme recently found that 66 percent of families in Gaza still do not have enough food to eat. Around 40 percent of all items that Israel allows into Gaza are food items destined for grocery shelves, but this is of little help to families who cannot afford even basic food. The average family in Gaza spends over 60 percent of their money on food. Many families used to fish, raise sheep and chickens, or grow some of their own food, but with access to the sea and open land heavily restricted it has become increasingly difficult to undertake these initiatives under the Israeli blockade.
In Azerbaijan, Oxfam spoke to families who said that the price of mutton has increased by one-fifth since last Ramazan, which means families have to reduce the amount of mutton from their daily meals. The UK has also seen rising food prices, with families in London saying that the prices of basic necessities such as rice and oil have increased.
With 925 million people going hungry every day and food prices predicted to more than double within the next 20 years, the food crisis is deepening. MADE in Europe and Oxfam are both demanding a step change from governments to act and help steer us away from an age of crisis to a more sustainable and fair future by better regulating markets, tackling climate change and investing in sustainable agriculture to ensure people have enough to eat.