Ethiopia says 6.4 million need aid

The food crisis in the Horn of Africa nation has steadily worsened since April when the government estimated that some 2.2 million people needed emergency assistance. In June, it revised the official figure to 4.6 million.

Aid agency Oxfam says Tuesday's figure did not include 7.2 million Ethiopians who receive cash handouts or food aid from the government each year to stave off hunger.

"We are short of emergency resources and, as part of the global community, we are feeling the impact of global resource constraints," said state agriculture minister, Mitiku Kassa.

Drought, inflation and high food prices have contributed to the worsening crisis in Ethiopia and other parts of the Horn of Africa like Somalia and northern Kenya, aid workers say.

(Reporting by Barry Malone; Editing by Daniel Wallis)