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WFP makes record food
purchases in East African markets
The United Nations World Food Programme has announced record purchases in the food markets in eastern and central Africa to respond to humanitarian crises in the region. This year, the UN's food agency has bought more than U.S. $54 million worth of maize, beans, sorghum and other cereals locally to assist hungry people in war-torn and drought-affected areas.
"This year, we have bought half of all the food we needed in this region on the local markets," said Holdbrook Arthur, the WFP regional director. "Some areas here have no food at all, others have a surplus. It clearly makes sense to buy locally--like this, we can help the vulnerable and at the same time, we can contribute to the local economies and invest in the long-term improvement of the agricultural sector."
In 2003, in response to urgent needs stemming from emergencies in the region, WFP doubled its local purchases to 250,000 tonnes. The biggest purchases were made in Uganda--to feed people displaced by fighting in the north of the country, as well as the vulnerable populations of Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Large quantities of food have also been bought in Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, DRC and Tanzania--most of the purchases going to assist beneficiaries in those same countries.
WFP is a fully voluntarily funded organization. Its ability to purchase food depends on the amount of contributions received in cash. A significant part of WFP resources are donated to the agency in kind.
Date: 12/8/03
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