“Hidden” Hunger in Georgia a Rising Threat
Georgia is located in the Caucasus, a region at the border of Europe and Asia, and has garnered international attention for its tense relations with neighboring Russia. After breaking up from the USSR,hunger in Georgia was exacerbated by the collapse of basic social services, ineffective government, rising unemployment, corruption, armed conflict and the displacement of citizens.
As unsolved conflict still remains, the country’s unstable economy has contributed to widespread food insecurity among the most vulnerable communities in the past.
However, the majority of the population suffers from ‘hidden’ hunger in Georgia; a lack of vitamins and minerals (usually vitamin A), iodine, iron and sometimes other essential nutrients. This malnutrition limits growth, development, health and working capacity. According to UNICEF, 32 percent of Georgian children had enlarged thyroid glands, while 22.8 percent of children aged younger than five had anemia, as did 25.6 percent of pregnant women. These are outcomes of nutrition deficiency.
In addition to this, obesity is another major problem caused by hidden hunger in Georgia. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2008 research showed 16 percent of men and 27 percent of women in Georgia were obese. If current trends continued, WHO warned about a possible obesity epidemic occurring in Georgia in the coming years.
The increase in unhealthy nutrition intake contributed to rising cardiovascular diseases in Georgia, which was the main contributor to mortality in 2010. According to the WHO, 94 percent of the population had at least one risk factor for heart disease.
In 2013, 60 percent of the Georgian population still could not afford to buy meat. However, as 2015 data shows Georgia experienced a drop in food prices: vegetables (decreased by 17.9 percent), milk, cheese and eggs (-1.4 percent) and fish (-1.1 percent). However, prices increased for fruit and grapes (5.6 percent) due to a slight fall in the monthly inflation rate.
Georgia has shown rapid economic progress in the few last years. The estimated real GDP average growth was 4.8 percent for the beginning of 2017. Export of Georgian goods has increased by 30 percent since 2016, amounting to $788 million. The Georgian economy ministry claimed that imports have also increased in the first four months of this year by 13 percent, amounting to $2.3 million.
In recent years, hunger in Georgia is no longer an urgent issue, but economic stability of the population will end hidden hunger in the country.
– Yana Emets
Photo: Flickr
