‘Food crisis’ for over quarter of a million undernourished Thais
The government’s think tank has declared a “food security crisis” after more than quarter of a million Thais were found to be undernourished – many of them farmers.
Some 260,000 Thais are undernourished, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC)’s report on Thai society in the second quarter of this year.
Titled “Food Security Crisis: Measures and Guidelines for Improving Thailand Food Security with Sustainability”, the report cites the Economist’s 2021 Global Food Security Index (GFSI). The GFSI report states that many of the 260,000 undernourished Thais are farmers who grow crops and produce food.
This is despite the fact that Thailand is among the world’s largest food exporters, ranking 13th last year.
The GFSI ranks Thailand 51 out of 113 countries in terms of food security, based on four criteria of affordability, availability, quality and safety, and natural resources and resilience. The GFSI 2021 gave an overall score of 64.5 out of 100 score, a slight improvement on the 2020 score of 63.6.
Thailand was ranked ninth among Asia-Pacific nations in terms of food security and 15th among middle-income nations.
The NESDC noted that although Thailand’s food affordability score was 81.8, 0.38 per cent of its population was under the global poverty line, meaning about 260,000 people, especially residents in remote areas, face undernourishment.
The NESDC said food insecurity mostly occurred in rural farming areas where drought is the major problem and transportation is an issue.
This year, soaring inflation has increased economic hardship for many Thais and made food less affordable.
The NESDC report added that farmers’ ability to subsist on the food they produce is also declining.
It said vulnerable groups still need government measures to make food more affordable.
