At least 7.3 million children in Afghanistan could face food shortages in May due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Save the Children said Friday.

The lockdown on major Afghan cities has led to spikes in prices of wheat, oil and pulses across the country in the past month, the organization said.

While the prices of food surged, the purchasing ability of a large portion of Afghans, who were dependent on daily wages, has declined.

Even before the COVID-19 crisis, over 5 million Afghan children needed some degree of humanitarian support, the statement said.

"What we need is for the international community to urgently fly in food supplies to be distributed to some of the most vulnerable communities in the country, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, malnourished, and those who are sick," said Timothy Bishop, Save the Children's director in Afghanistan.

The Afghan government on Thursday announced a trial food-distribution program in the capital Kabul that provides free bread through local bakeries.