The Yemeni agricultural sector provided 20% of the country's food needs in 2022
English - Thursday 24 August 2023 الساعة 04:24 pm
Taiz, NewsYemen:
The World Bank said that the agricultural sector in Yemen provides only 15-20% of its basic food needs in 2022 and 2023, although this sector is the backbone of livelihoods in Yemen.
The World Bank's "Breaking the Circle of Food Crises in Yemen" report added that the conflict has distorted and inconsistent agricultural policies at the national and local levels.
The report noted that major pest outbreaks such as the desert locust, and more frequent droughts and floods, have steadily eroded the country's agricultural assets.
He stated that local wheat production and fisheries experienced a higher rate of decline in production during the conflict, compared to local fruit and vegetable production.
The report indicated that domestic food production in Yemen in 2022 and 2023 remained restricted, despite the dependence of many residents on the sector for their livelihood.
He noted that fruit and vegetable crops combined represent the largest food product in Yemen, and farmers have increasingly turned to commercial crops over the past decades.
According to the report, qat is one of the most profitable cash crops in Yemen. Other commercial crops include animal feed. Yemen's largest crop by volume is sorghum, a rain-fed grain grown to feed livestock.
According to figures from 2015 through 2019, production levels remained stable during the conflict for commercial crops, as well as meat, dairy and poultry.
