Gaza: Agriculture
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential of agricultural land in Gaza to grow adequate quantities of food to support the population.
Answered by Mr Hamish Falconer
The UK is deeply concerned by the collapse of Gaza's agricultural sector and the impact the destruction has had on food security. Recent assessments by the UN indicate that 86 per cent of cropland in Northern Gaza has been damaged. In response, we have scaled up our support for the World Food Programme (WFP). On 13 October we announced a £20 million humanitarian aid package, including support to the WFP to deliver vital assistance to thousands of civilians across Gaza. We are also supporting the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pooled fund, which has provided funding to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
The UK stands ready to take a leading role in support of Palestinian-led early recovery and reconstruction efforts from phase 2 of the ceasefire through to sustainable peace.
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