Ethiopia has appealed for $325m (£167m) in aid after drought and crop failure more than doubled the number of people needing emergency assistance to 4.6 million.

Poor rains have affected much of southern and south-eastern Ethiopia since last year, significantly cutting harvests. The shortage of local cereals has sent prices soaring, while the cost of imported food has also risen sharply because of the global food crisis and increased fuel prices.

Aid agencies say that hundreds of thousands of the country's poorest families can no longer afford to buy enough food to sustain themselves. According to the UN, which issued the appeal to donors yesterday together with Ethiopia's Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency, 75,000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition and illness.

"The urgency of this launch cannot be overstated," said John Holmes, the UN's emergency relief coordinator. "Limited resources are hampering the efforts of both the government and its humanitarian partners to help those in need."

The food insecurity is the worst since 2003, when 13.2 million people required emergency assistance, and it took the government and aid agencies largely by surprise. In April it was estimated that $68m would cover the country's humanitarian requirements. But the failure of the rains increased the need dramatically.

The worst affected areas are Oromia, the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region, and the Somali region, where the government has restricted aid access because of a rebel insurgency. Lack of water and pasture has killed livestock in all three areas. Unicef warned last month that up to 6 million children were at risk of malnutrition.

Ethiopia pleads for £167m aid after crops fail | World news | The Guardian