The profits made by food billionaires in two weeks would be enough to address "the hunger crisis" in the East African region, according to a statement from humanitarian organization Oxfam released today.

The non-governmental organization reports that the food crisis in East African countries - where millions of people face an "alarming" situation of hunger - has increased considerably in regions such as Ethiopia.

In the African country, the hunger situation is five times higher than the world average with regard to food risk.

"It is estimated that every 48 people die in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, where the drought situation is worsening, and the effects of the war in Ukraine that has caused food prices to skyrocket," Oxfam warns quoted by Lusa.

Oxfam's "Profiting from Pain" report for the period March 2020 to March 2022 finds that "millionaires" in the food sector have increased profits by $382 billion.

Thus, Oxfam says, "less than two weeks of profits would be more than enough to fund the entire UN fundraising program that calls for $6.2 billion for East Africa.

At this point the United Nations has only been able to raise 16% of the amount that was requested.

Hanna Saarinen, head of Oxfam's Food Policy section, said that "a monstrous amount of wealth is being amassed at the top of global food distribution chains" while rising food prices are leaving millions of people without food.

Saarien called for a new system to "end hunger" and urged governments to mobilize resources to "prevent human suffering."

In this sense, he added, "a good option would be to tax the 'super-rich' who have seen their wealth skyrocket to unprecedented levels in the last two years."

According to Oxfam, East Africans spend 60% of their wages on food, and the region is over-reliant on imported staples.

Food and beverages account for 54% of the CPI (Consumer Price Index) in Ethiopia.

In the UK the value of the same index is 11.6%.

The non-governmental organization laments that "while many people in rich countries struggle with inflation, in East African countries they directly face situations of hunger and poverty."

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a bloc made up of eight countries in East Africa, warned last May that the number of people facing hunger in the region is increasing due to drought, affecting 40.4 million people.