Afghan officials warned that of a famine arising from a drought from failed spring rains that destroyed rain-fed wheat crops increasing poverty levels that is usually exploited by the Taliban to recruit disaffected population to further their terrorist agenda.
Agriculture Ministry officials say that there "is a deficit of 1.2 million tons" in "cereal crop" with wheat contributing to 800,000 tons of this number. Normally, the farmers produce 1.6 million tons of rain-fed wheat every year. Afghanistan was plagued by drought till 2005 and aid agencies are finding it hard to reach affected population because the South has been heavily infiltrated by Afghanistan. Isolated pockets struggling for sustenance accept low levels of blood money to fight for the Taliban so their families can survive.
The UN World Food Program estimates say that there are 6.5 million facing starvation.
