December 3, 2010

GAZA (Ma'an) --The head of Gaza's bakeries' association said Friday that the Strip is facing a crisis due to wheat shortages.

Abdul Nasser Al-Ajramy said Israel has decreased the amount of wheat it allows into Gaza, leaving mills in the Strip empty.

Israel opens Karni crossing once a week to allow around 100 truckloads of wheat and animal feed into the coastal enclave, Al-Ajramy said, adding that Gaza consumes 800 tons of wheat daily.

To avoid a crisis, the crossing must be opened for three days each week, the bakery official said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported Friday that there has been a sharp decline in wheat imports to Gaza since Israel announced it would ease its siege on the Strip in June.

OCHA said the Karni crossing opens for two days each week, but that Israel only allows the import of wheat on one day. Prior to the easing of the blockade, wheat entered on both days.

Almost 20,000 tons of wheat is waiting to enter Gaza, but on Monday the quantity of wheat inside Gaza was only sufficient to feed the population for six days, OCHA reported.

Gaza's Agriculture Ministry warned Thursday that the shortage of animal fodder has already led to the starvation of several livestock animals in parts of the coastal enclave.

The head of veterinary services in the enclave Zakariyah Al-Kafarneh said chickens were the hardest hit by the shortage.

Al-Kafarneh said the shortage had become more acute over the previous weeks, as the average number of tons of fodder permitted into Gaza each week dropped from 16,000 tons to 2,000 in the last two.