More than half of Lebanon's population risk facing a food crisis in the aftermath of a blast at the Port of Beirut that compounded the country's many woes, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) reported on Sunday.

"Immediate measures should be taken to prevent a food crisis, such as intensifying food price monitoring, ensuring ceiling shelf price and encouraging direct sales from local producers to consumers," ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti said.

Lebanon's government, she said, must prioritize the rebuilding of silos at the Beirut port, the country's largest grain storage.

Lebanon was mired in an economic collapse even before the cataclysmic August 4 blast, which killed 190 and injured more than 6,500, according Sunday's report from the country's caretaker government.

Lebanon defaulted on its debt, while the local currency has plummeted in value on the black market and poverty rates have soared, on top of a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

"The yearly average inflation rate is expected to be more than 50 percent in 2020, compared with 2.9 percent in 2019," ESCWA said in a statement.

Lebanon relies on imports for 85 percent of its food needs and the annihilation of the silos at the Beirut port could worsen an already alarming situation, aid agencies and experts said.

Dashti urged the international community to "expand food security programs targeting refugees and host communities" to help defuse "potential social tensions."

Earlier this month, ESCWA said more than 55 percent of the Lebanese were "trapped in poverty and struggling for bare necessities."

(With input from agencies)