A recent report by the World Food Program noted that one in three Yemeni people suffer from extreme hunger.

The Regional Director of the World Food Program for the Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe Al-Dali Balqassemi said many in Yemen still lack food and suffer from chronic famine.

In this regard, an official report earlier revealed that 21.5 percent of Yemeni households face lack of food security, out of which 6.9 percent are suffering from excessive hunger.

The report said that lack of food security in the country is among other worrying issues, particularly amid soaring food prices that started to climb in 2007.

Shifting from growing crops to planting qat trees and other profitable plants has contributed to the worsening situation, as Yemen imports more than 80 percent of its consumption of crops.

Moreover, the report noted that the agricultural sector in Yemen is facing major obstacles to be developed including limited arable land, declining waters, poor agriculture credits and investment in infrastructure of producing and marketing crops.

According to the 2008 government performance report, the sector slightly developed by only 3 percent for reasons including slowness in implementing the third-five plan goals aiming at limiting qat-planted land to 10 percent of Yemen’s arable land.

The report, however, urged to encourage implementation of the program of growing crops and improving further land.