WFP gets permission to import maize

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Namibia announced on Friday that it had received permission from the government to import maize to feed refugees in Osire camp, 250 km north of the capital, Windhoek. "We are delighted with the decision and will now move expeditiously to ensure that the maize is procured and distributed timeously," WFP head in Namibia, Abdirahman Meygag, told IRIN. He added that refugees should be on full rations by mid-August, following the successful delivery of 500 mt of maize from neighbouring South Africa. Maize meal supplies were cut in July with refugees in Osire only receiving half-rations as a result of the import ban. To cushion the blow, WFP increased the corn-soya blend allocation from 1 kg to 3 kg per person. The government's import restrictions were designed to protect local farmers. But WFP argued that it was unable to afford the local price of maize, currently nearly 60 percent higher than the landed cost of South African grain in Windhoek.