This year will be one of the most difficult years for the poor and hungry people across the world, and according to the World Food Program's (WFP) estimates – the number of people suffering from hunger and malnutrition could reach 265 million globally, the chief economist at the WFP Arif Husain said in an exclusive interview with N1, adding that the situation could get worse thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to him, the situation has been bad in the past four years with reasons for hunger being climate change, economic instability and conflicts. All this led to a 70 percent spike in the number of people facing hunger which now stands at 135 million, and the WFP's estimates say that this number will rise by 130 million more thanks to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The WFP's official noted that people both in rich and poor countries are losing jobs and that diseases are spreading in rich as well as poor countries. This is why the poor countries need to have financial support in the form of grants and direct credits which they could use immediately.

Dr Husain also spoke about the worsening situation in southern Africa, the crisis in Europe, but also the WFP's financial requirements for combating the Covid-19 pandemic in the world.

See dr Husain speak to N1's Esmir Milavic about this and other issues in the video above.