FAO warns Ebola spread affect food prices in west Africa

UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Tuesday warned that spread of Ebola virus in three West African countries have disrupted food trade and marketing, as well as making food increasingly expensive thus hard to get.
In a statement, FAO also said shortage of labor was putting upcoming harvest season at serious risk.
"In Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, quarantine zones and restrictions on people's movement aimed at combating the spread of the virus, although necessary, have seriously curtailed the movement and marketing of food," it said.
This, it added, has lead to panic buying, food shortages and significant food price hikes on some commodities, especially in urban centers.
The main harvest season for two key crops - rice and maize - is just weeks away. Labor shortages on farms due to movement restrictions and migration to other areas will seriously impact farm production, jeopardizing the food security of large numbers of people, said FAO.
Production of cash crops like palm oil, cocoa and rubber - on which the livelihoods and food purchasing power of many families depend - is expected to be seriously affected.
"Access to food has become a pressing concern for many people in the three affected countries and their neighbors," said Bukar Tijani, FAO Regional Representative for Africa.
"With the main harvest now at risk and trade and movements of goods severely restricted, food insecurity is poised to intensify in the weeks and months to come. The situation will have long-lasting impacts on farmers' livelihoods and rural economies," he added.