Yemen has More Challenges Ahead; Tougher Road in Years to Come

Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Mansour Ahmed Al-Hushabi said that Yemen is the most vulnerable country to dryness over the next 20 years, and that is mainly due to climate change.

Upon his departure to Cairo to attend Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO) conference, Al-Hushabi said that Yemen will submit a proposal for regional cooperation as for fighting locusts especially when their swarms started to appear once again by the end of this month in Sudan, African Horn countries and Yemen, noting the country will ask for financial support to help increase agricultural product especially of cereals which are resistant to dryness. 

In a report recently released, FAO warned that the climate changes affecting the Middle East could result in a reduced agricultural production and looming water crisis. These two factors will badly overshadow the lives of poor people.

The report pinpointed that Yemen, among other countries, will face unprecedented challenges mainly because of low incomes, rapid population growth and critical shortage of water.

As for climate change, the report indicated that most countries in the region will get badly affected by climate, especially with the shortage of lands suitable for agriculture and lack of water for irrigation. It further revealed that these changes could bring in high temperature, more dryness, floods and soil deterioration. 

Several Middle East Countries, including Yemen, suffer from irregular rainfall and draining underground water as this prompted several experts to say that the next war in the area is that of water.

Economists stress the current increases of wheat, whose prices reached record level, and other food commodities prices could badly affect Yemeni people' who suffer a lot already.

Under such circumstances, some members of parliaments demanded the government to allocate part of budgetary surplus resulting from the increase in oil prices to support poor people who have become unable to buy a sack of wheat; let alone other daily requirements.

Bread loaf prices double

Two weeks ago, over 500 bakeries in Sana'a doubled the prices of bread loaves in implementation of a deal signed recently between Ministry of Industry and Trade and bakery owners. The prices of bread loaves have tripled since September elections of 2006.

The ministry allowed its offices and local authorities to decide upon the bread loaf prices in their provinces and the new deal dictated selling a bread loaf for YR 20 after it was sold at YR 10 in the past and it should weigh 100 g while one kilogram of bread is to be sold against YR 180.

Several people interviewed by Yemen Post expressed their resentment at the recent price increase and mentioned that government aims to direct a knock-out hit to citizens, particularly destitute, low income and poor people.

Mohammed Hadi, a laborer, indicated that increasing bread loaf prices is unwise and uncalculated decision and assured that people are already unable to keep up with the previous price hikes.

His friend Saleh Ali agrees with him and says that he is able no more to secure his eight-member family needs and hinted that he sought the help of his elder son, who was forced to leave school under these pressing circumstances.

Wheat flour prices have seen a slight increase over the last few days. On average, a sack of wheat's price rose with YR 100 and thus people's suffering augments.

YSPC demands strict monitoring of bakeries

In its statement, Yemeni Society for Protecting Consumer (YSPC) demanded concerned authorities to make regular inspections of bakeries to make sure their owners commit themselves to the agreed weight of bread loaves.

Further, the society demanded Trade Ministry and its offices across the republic to work on monitoring bakeries to ensure that consumers have a bread loaf that equals the amount of money they pay and also to make sure it is complaint with the accredited standards.