Donors urged to provide cash for local purchase of food

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday called on donors to give cash to enable humanitarian agencies to purchase food locally to meet the needs of some 7 million people who will be unable to feed themselves this year. WFP said in a statement that Ethiopia's harvest in late 2003 had been 40 percent higher than the previous year's, but it was still not enough to feed all the people. It added that there were localised surpluses in some of the regions that could be bought for food aid. A survey conducted by WFP, the EC and the Swedish International Development Agency, the statement added, had found that between 300,000 mt and 350,000 mt of maize, wheat and sorghum was available for local purchase in 18 surplus-producing zones. "If WFP and NGOs buy local cereal surpluses, it will most certainly benefit local farmers," Georgia Shaver, the WFP country director in Ethiopia, said in the statement. "Our proposal makes economic sense. Donors could save money if they support the purchase of food aid in the local market." WFP said the Ethiopian government had appealed for around 900,000 mt of food, and one-third of this requirement could be covered through buying food in country. Buying 300,000 mt of cereals in Ethiopia would cost donors US $100 million, it added. The agency said the local purchase of cereals was in line with its other projects aiming to stimulate the local market, while the purchases of cereals and pulses would also play an important role in helping to stabilise prices. "Last year, 13 million Ethiopians needed food assistance," the statement said. "This year, despite the good harvest, 7 million people remain unable to feed themselves for the entire year and require food aid to cover their food gap [because they] cannot afford to buy food even if the surplus reaches markets in drought-affected areas."