Yemen’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources held a press conference on Saturday revealing the massive losses sustained by the agricultural, fisheries, and water infrastructure sectors over 11 years of US-Saudi aggression, which systematic policy aimed at starving the Yemeni people and undermining national food security.
The ministry stated that the aggression deliberately targeted these two vital sectors as part of a systematic policy designed to starve the Yemeni people and harm national food security. The targeting resulted in the destruction of over 19,400 agricultural and livestock facilities, in addition to 12,400 water facilities, at an estimated cost of $1.614 billion.
The ministry noted that agricultural machinery, equipment, and supplies were also targeted, with losses exceeding $262 million. Direct damage to agricultural lands and crop production reached over $5.042 billion. Additionally, 7,565 protected agricultural greenhouses and plant production nurseries were destroyed, with losses estimated at approximately $64 million.
Regarding livestock, the ministry reported the death of approximately 450,000 head of livestock, 43,000 beehives, and 90 purebred horses, at a total cost exceeding $501 million.
The ministry noted that the fisheries sector was heavily targeted, with 4,700 fishing boats and fish landing centers destroyed, negatively affecting the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen.
The ministry detailed the human cost: 273 fishermen martyred, 214 injured, and over 2,117 fishermen abducted.
The total direct losses in the agricultural, fisheries, and water infrastructure sectors exceeded $13.355 billion, the ministry confirmed.
The ministry renewed its affirmation of continued work to strengthen the resilience of the agricultural and fisheries sectors despite the scale of the challenges.
The press conference, held on the 11th anniversary of the US-Saudi aggression against Yemen, presents a comprehensive accounting of damage to Yemen’s food production capacity—a sector critical to a population already facing what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The ministry’s framing of agricultural and fisheries targeting as “systematic policy designed to starve the Yemeni people” proves that this aggression was collective punishment against civilians.
The reported losses of 450,000 livestock and 43,000 beehives represent significant damage to rural livelihoods, particularly in areas dependent on animal husbandry and honey production—a traditional Yemeni industry. The destruction of fishing boats and landing centers affects coastal communities, many of which have already experienced reduced access to traditional fishing grounds due to naval blockades.
