Serious wheat shortfall in Afghanistan

The United Nations says Afghanistan is facing a record shortfall of wheat because of the worst drought in thirty years.

The World Food Programme representative for Afghanistan, Mike Sackett, told Reuters news agency that Afghanistan needed about four million tons of wheat each year to feed its people.

But he said production this year would fall short of this figure by two-point-three million tons.

Mr Sackett said the situation was very serious and the World Food Programme was preparing for a very difficult twelve months.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service