United Nations Radio

The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, has appealed for funds to help Afghans cope with the food crisis they are facing.

Last month the UN issued an appeal for more than $400 million to help Afghanistan overcome the impact of high food prices, the drought and the reduced harvest. Speaking to reporters in Kabul, on Tuesday, Mr. Eide stressed the need for donors to respond urgently in order to prevent suffering, warning that winter is only a few months away.

The special envoy for Afghanistan said that more than a third of Afghan households do not meet their minimum daily requirement of food and the amount of money that families have to spend on food has risen from just over fifty per cent in 2005 to more than 80 per cent today.

He also called for a halt to the attacks against food convoys, saying that stealing from food aid convoys is stealing from the poorest people who need the food most.

Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.

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