Japan to offer $100 million in emergency food aid

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Japan to offer $100 million in emergency food aid
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200804250168.html​

04/25/2008

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

To alleviate the global food shortage and political unrest in developing countries, Japan will provide more than $100 million (10 billion yen) in emergency aid before the Group of Eight summit in July, sources said.

The government hopes the additional assistance will strengthen its leadership when it hosts the G-8 meeting at Lake Toyako, Hokkaido.

The emergency aid will come on top of the $68 million that Japan provided this year to the U.N. World Food Program, which offers food assistance to developing countries.

The amount will be the second largest in emergency aid committed by a single industrialized country, following the United States, to deal with the current food crisis, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who will chair the summit, has said he will make the global food crisis one of the key items on the agenda.

Japan will provide about $50 million to the WFP in May, which will be distributed as food aid to about 10 countries hit hard by the deepening food crisis, the sources said.

The recipients will include many African countries, such as Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic, the sources said.

Japan also plans to offer more than $50 million to countries in critical condition through bilateral programs by July, the sources said.

Amid soaring food prices, the WFP has reported a $500-million revenue shortage and requested additional contributions from industrialized countries.

Japan annually provides more than $100 million to the organization.

For the $100 million in additional aid, the government plans to use revenue earmarked for other official development assistance programs for the current fiscal year and may also compile a supplementary budget if necessary, the sources said.

Japan plans to propose discussions on mid- to long-term measures for the food shortage when delegates from member countries of the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization meet in Rome in June.

The government then plans to have the G-8 leaders express their commitment to addressing the global food crisis.

The United States has announced plans to offer food aid worth about $200 million to African and other countries through the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Washington is also considering an additional $350 million in emergency aid to the WFP and nongovernmental organizations.

According to the FAO, 37 countries are facing a food crisis.

The bills for the world's poorest countries for grain imports are expected to rise by 56 percent year-on-year in 2007 and 2008, up from 37 percent in 2006 and 2007, according to the organization.(IHT/Asahi: April 25,2008)