Aid to fight food insecurity

KATHMANDU, SEP 16 –
The European Commission Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) has provided US $ 1.14 million to combat food insecurity in Mid-Western Nepal.
A press statement issued by the World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said that the money was provided to the WFP Nepal to procure nearly 900 metric tones of rice to meet the short-term hunger needs of 61,000 people living in Karnali region, the most food insecure area in Nepal.
Nicolas Oberlin, Deputy Country Director of WFP Nepal said in the release, “Recent shocks such as unpredictable weather patterns, crop failures, and increasing food prices have worsened the situation in the Karnali region.”
Several VDCs in Jumla, Humla and Mugu districts are facing drop in winter crop production last year by more than 50 percent, severely exacerbating the already precarious situation of the region.
In Nepal, over 3.5 million people are currently considered to be food insecure and 41 percent of the population is estimated to be undernourished. Meanwhile, WFP Nepal is providing food assistance to more than two million people in Nepal.
Source: The Kathmandu Post – 17.09.2010