The World Food Programme on Wednesday launched an urgent appeal for $308-million’s worth of food aid — in cash or kind — for six countries in southern Africa.
WFP Southern Africa regional director Mike Sackett repeated a call made earlier in the day by his executive director, Jim Morris, in Geneva, that the need for food aid remained substantial due to erratic weather patterns, deteriorating economies and the devastating impact of HIV/Aids.
”As long as people lack the resources to cope in times of crisis, they will remain vulnerable to natural disasters such as flood and drought, economic and political turmoil, and the HIV/Aids pandemic,” Morris told an earlier media conference.
”HIV/Aids is striking down farmers in southern Africa before they get a chance to plant their crops and regain the food security that was eroded over the last year.”
Officials added that erratic rainfall was often a more severe problem than drought as it caused crop failure which wiped out seed reserves.
”The agency is asking for $308-million (around R2,3-billion) to fund close to 540 000 tons of food, enough to feed 6,5-million people until June of next year,” Sackett told journalists at a media conference in Johannesburg.
Countries that would benefit from the 2003 programme were Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Up to 64% of the food aid would be directed to Zimbabwe, up from 41% last year.
A further 21% would go to flood-ravaged southern Mozambique (up from five percent) while the contribution to the other four countries benefiting from the programme would fall to 15% from 54%.
A separate programme was in effect for Angola, where former Unita rebels were also receiving WFP food aid while awaiting resettlement by the government there. – Sapa