Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse
Cost of Healthy Diet in Cambodia among Lowest in ASEAN
The cost of maintaining a healthy diet in Cambodia is the third-lowest in Southeast Asia, the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) says.
According to a new set of indicators released by the FAO on Wednesday, Cambodia's daily cost was US$3.89 per person based on purchasing power parity - exchange rates that equalises currency buying powers by removing differences in prices between countries.
Among other ASEAN countries, the cost was lowest in Singapore (US$3.06) followed by Malaysia (US$3.54).
Indonesia had the highest cost (US$4.47) followed by Brunei (US$4.41), Thailand (US$4.32), Myanmar (US$4.19), Laos (US$4.14), the Philippines (US$4.11) and Vietnam (US$4.07).
In terms of regions, the indicators - developed by the FAO with inputs from Tufts University and the World Bank - showed that Latin America and the Caribbean had the highest cost at US$3.89.
Asia came next (US$3.72) followed by Africa (US$3.46), Northern America and Europe (US$3.19) and Oceania (US$3.07).
The FAO said costs in Asia rose 4.0 percent between 2019 and 2020, the sharpest increase among regions.
Oceania ranked next (3.6 percent) followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (3.4 percent), Northern America and Europe (3.2 percent) and Africa (2.5 percent).
Mr. David Laborde, director of FAO's Agrifood Economics Division, said ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition was more than securing enough food to survive.
"What people eat must also be nutritious," Mr. Laborde said. "Yet a key obstacle is the high cost of nutritious foods and the low affordability of healthy diets for vast numbers of people around the world."