PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Japan gives Mali 1 billion CFAF for food security
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Japanese government, through the World Food Programme (WFP), has given Mali a financial aid of US$ 2 million (about 1.046 billion CFAF), to enable the African country to take food assistance to about 25,000 food-insecure people in the country, the Malian food security commission told PANA on Thursday.
At the meeting of the national agriculture committee held last week, the commission said that more than 932,000 people will be threatened by severe food and nutritional insecurity during the hunger gap period (July to September 2018).
This is due to a bad agricultural campaign and the massive export of several tonnes of cereals to neighbouring countries by Malian producers.
The fund, granted as donation on the extra 2017 budget adopted on 1 February 2018, comes within the framework of the ‘food and nutritional assistance project for populations affected by the crisis in Mali'.
The global objective of the project, meant for 25,000 people, is to enable the Malian government meet the food and nutritional needs of vulnerable populations, through the free distribution of food assistance.
According to the WFP resident-representative in Mali, Sylvia Caruso, the UN food agency, which assists the Malian government by helping it meeting the food needs of populations, specifically children aged from 6 months to 23 months, pregnant women and young mothers, began food distributions since March and will finish in September to cover the hunger gap period.
This year, Japan has donated 3 billion CFAF for the building of 5 warehouses where corn will be stored as part of the national food security stock.
Japan also assisted in providing rice, which value exceeds 7 billion CFAF, in addition to the more than 650 million CFAF given to the Ministry of National reconciliation for actions aimed at restoring peace in Mali.
-0- PANA GT/JSG/MSA/VAO 19April2018
At the meeting of the national agriculture committee held last week, the commission said that more than 932,000 people will be threatened by severe food and nutritional insecurity during the hunger gap period (July to September 2018).
This is due to a bad agricultural campaign and the massive export of several tonnes of cereals to neighbouring countries by Malian producers.
The fund, granted as donation on the extra 2017 budget adopted on 1 February 2018, comes within the framework of the ‘food and nutritional assistance project for populations affected by the crisis in Mali'.
The global objective of the project, meant for 25,000 people, is to enable the Malian government meet the food and nutritional needs of vulnerable populations, through the free distribution of food assistance.
According to the WFP resident-representative in Mali, Sylvia Caruso, the UN food agency, which assists the Malian government by helping it meeting the food needs of populations, specifically children aged from 6 months to 23 months, pregnant women and young mothers, began food distributions since March and will finish in September to cover the hunger gap period.
This year, Japan has donated 3 billion CFAF for the building of 5 warehouses where corn will be stored as part of the national food security stock.
Japan also assisted in providing rice, which value exceeds 7 billion CFAF, in addition to the more than 650 million CFAF given to the Ministry of National reconciliation for actions aimed at restoring peace in Mali.
-0- PANA GT/JSG/MSA/VAO 19April2018
