Afghans Facing Food Crisis

Afghanistan is facing a critical food shortage and is appealing to the world to send extra wheat, the BBC reports. "The situation is serious," warned the nation's commerce minister. Afghanistan relies on food imports, and the rising price of grain on world markets is triggering a national hardship. In some places, the price of a loaf of bread has quadrupled. Unrest in Pakistan means wheat shipments from there have also been cut.

The country's violence-torn south is particularly hard hit. Fighting makes it especially difficult for aid to get through, and many local wheat farmers have switched to growing the more lucrative opium poppies. "Food prices have gone up and no one can afford to buy all the food they need," said a resident of troubled Helmand province. (More Afghanistan stories.)