Yemen: Houthis say $20bn in agricultural losses due to war

Yemen’s Houthi group said the agricultural sector has incurred nearly $20 billion in losses due to attacks against areas under the group’s control until the end of 2018.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture in the Houthi government, Majeed Al-Mutawakel said: “The agricultural sector is a vital sector in Yemen, and makes up 70 per cent of the economy and that is why it has been the focus of attacks,” in reference to strikes by the Saudi-led coalition.

“The capabilities lost by the agricultural sector are many and resources are scarce, but society has worked hard to raise the level of production,” he added.

Impoverished Yemen has remained in a state of civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

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In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s embattled government.

According to UN officials, more than 100,000 people have been killed in the war, while more than 11 per cent of the country’s population has been displaced.