Nearly two million mt of food ferried in through neighbouring states

In the largest food aid operation in the history of the World Food Programme (WFP), just under 1.9 million mt of food has been delivered to Iraq since the start of April from neighbouring Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria and Iran. Food agency officials in Jordan have so far managed to transport the highest tonnage to the volatile nation, sending in about 512,645 mt of food aid to needy Iraqis. The smooth transportation of food from Jordan was achieved through good logistics, according to agency staff, with Aqaba becoming the key port of entry for food sent to south and central Iraq. At the start of the operation the Jordanian customs and the coalition were keeping the Jordanian/Iraqi border open 24 hours a day. In addition to this, the director of customs authorised the deployment of an extra 38 customs officers to help speed up the process. Another humanitarian corridor for westbound traffic from Iraq to Jordan was also established by Amman to reduce the frequent tailbacks. "The WFP operation aims to feed the entire Iraqi population until October 2003. However, food items renegotiated from Oil for Food contracts will be delivered into Iraq till mid 2004," WFP spokeswoman Antonia Paradela, told IRIN from the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. "The Iraqi Ministry of Trade will be in charge of the whole process of importing food for the rations as it was doing before the war," she added. With more than 1,100 WFP staff working for the Iraq emergency and a budget of US $1.5 million, WFP wants to bring 2.2 million mt of food into Iraq by the end of October. This is equivalent to the total amount of food WFP distributed worldwide last year. The Turkish corridor has transported the second highest tonnage of food into Iraq. Commodities delivered include wheat flour, pulses, white rice, vegetable ghee, vegetable oil, biscuits, dried skimmed milk, sugar, cheese and soya milk. "It was challenging and we had to work fast to ensure that the food was delivered quickly and safely," emergency coordinator for WFP, Evelyne Togbe-Olory, told IRIN in the Turkish capital, Ankara. "The best thing is when you hear that the food has arrived safely, that's what puts a big smile on your face," she added. Some 485,774 mt of food had been dispatched from Turkey to Iraq as of 15 September. This makes up 26 percent of the tonnage delivered to Iraq from the five neighbouring countries. A further 39 mt of dried skimmed milk is to be delivered before the end of October. The total cost of the commodities channelled through Turkey, including logistics, is some US $360 million. "The food sent from Turkey was distributed in the northern cities of Mosul, Dahuk, Sulaymaniyah and Tikrit," Togbe-Olory explained. More than 457,070 mt of food has been transported to Iraq from Syria, 164,269 mt from Kuwait, and 57,123 mt from Iran. An operation on this scale has huge implications, according to Paradela, and WFP has raised concerns over security with regards to logistics. "WFP is responsible for an extremely complex logistical and transport operation to bring food commodities to Iraqi warehouses and silos in all governorate capitals," she said. The agency registered an increase in shootings in July, looting of storage facilities and attacks on trucks bringing food into southern Iraq. Security at storage facilities was also a major source of concern. Most of the warehouses and silos belong to the Iraqi Ministry of Trade (MOT), supported by WFP in the monthly distribution of 27 million food rations. Up until 10 June, there had been at least 12 incidents of looting and shooting in or near these facilities, according to a WFP statement. In mid-June, WFP withdrew staff from Al Hurriyah warehouse in Baghdad after it was attacked by several hundred looters. Trucks bringing food from neighbouring countries were prevented from unloading at the warehouse and distribution to food agents in various districts of Baghdad was paralysed for over a week. There was a similar story to be told in the north where the food agency reported at least five cases of looting at MOT warehouses as well as two attempts at WFP warehouses in Kirkuk. On 6 July, the WFP office in the northern city of Mosul was targeted in a grenade attack, luckily there were no casualties. That same night, a WFP warehouse in Kirkuk was attacked. Warehouses in Nassiriyah and Basra in the south have also been subjected to looting. The port of Umm Qasr was affected by looting in mid-June for some days after the withdrawal of Spanish troops. While food will still be provided to the vulnerable, many Iraqis are doing their best to work towards self-sufficiency and are looking forward to a good harvest. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported that the harvest in the northern governorates of Arbil, Dahuk and Sulaymaniyah are expected to produce between 30 and 35 per cent of this year's total estimated grain crop. Most farmers were not displaced from their fields during the war and are in a good position to begin harvesting. The situation in the centre and the south of Iraq is less clear, according to FAO. "A successful harvest would help alleviate food shortages by producing more than 500,000 mt of wheat and barley, enough to fill at least 20,000 truckloads that would otherwise have to be imported," the FAO said in a recent statement. "It also would improve access to food and could help stimulate the rural economy." However, the bulk of Iraq's cereal requirement would have to continue to be met through imports, including substantial amounts of food aid. Even in good harvest years, Iraq has always relied on substantial cereal imports as its output, particularly in major producing areas of central and southern Iraq, has suffered from limited investment, shortage of inputs and deteriorating irrigation infrastructure.