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Hunger is a problem that is still hunting people in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In its most recent report, made public Wednesday, the UN specialized agency revealed that 1.4 million people in Morocco suffered from undernourishment in the period between 2015 and 2017.
This number has seen some changes over the years, according to data provided by FAO. In Fact, 1.7 million Moroccans were undernourished in 2004. This number did not change until 2010, when it fell to 1.6 million people. Last year, the same numbers were recorded by FAO.
Giving more details about this phenomenon, FAO reported that prevalence of undernourishment reached 3.9 percent in 2017 in Morocco. This figure is lower than what was recorded in the last 13 years. Indeed, in the period between 2004 and 2006, the prevalence of undernourishment in the Kingdom was at 5.7 percent.
According to data compiled by the UN agency, the prevalence of people affected by severe food insecurity in Morocco, between 2014 and 2016, reached 5.1 percent. In the period between 2015 and 2017 this percentage moved to 5.7%.
10.7% of children under-fivee in Morocco are overweight
When it comes to children, the UN body reveals that 14.9% of children under-five in Morocco suffer from stunting, impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation.
Moreover, 2.3% of children under-five in the Kingdom are affected by wasting, or low weight for height. Meanwhile, 3.1% of Moroccan children under-five are considered underweight, while 10.7% of children from the same category are overweight.
In Morocco, 36.9% of Moroccan women of reproductive age were suffering from anaemia, a deficiency in the number or quality of red blood cells in your body, in 2016. Based on the same report, only 27.8% of women with children, under 6 months, breastfed their kids exclusively in 2013. The same source indicated that the prevalence of obesity in adults was at 26.1% in 2016.
The Food and Agriculture Organization reveals that Morocco is self-sufficient when it comes to meats and fruits and vegetables production. The country produces an average of 59% of cereals, 95% of milk, 98% of oil crops and 28% of sugar sweeteners to cover its needs. The same source reports that Morocco produced 73% of its wheat needs in 2013 and imported the rest. According to the UN agency, the North African Kingdom has a stable status when it comes to agricultural imports.
For the record, FAO’s report indicates that Around 52 million in Near East, North Africa, suffering chronic undernourishment. According to Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, Assistant Director-General and NENA Representative of the (FAO), «conflicts and civil instability have long-lasting impacts on the food and nutrition security of both affected and surrounding countries in the regions».
