By NNN-Bernama,
Bangkok : The first shipment of food aid from the United States arrived in North Korea Sunday, two days after the communist country destroyed its nuclear reactor tower and the US lifted some sanctions on it.
Tony Banbury, the Bangkok-based Asia regional director for the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said the agency would now be able to dramatically expand its food assistance operation and provide aid to millions of people who would otherwise be at risk of increased hunger and malnutrition.
The US ship arrived at the port of Nampo carrying 37,000 tonnes of wheat, the first installment of a US food aid pledge of up to 500,000 tonnes, which will provide enough food to allow WFP to feed more than five million people from 1.2 million at present.
WFP hailed the new agreement with the North Koreans as a significant breakthrough in its long-standing effort to ensure that all those in need of food assistance in North Korea are able to receive it.
Following the agreement, WFP can now send nearly 50 more international aid workers to the country, who will oversee and monitor the delivery of food to make sure it reaches hungry people most in need while the number of counties under coverage will be expanded to 128 from 50.
In the two northwestern provinces of Chagang and North Pyongan, US non-governmental organisations will distribute up to 100,000 tonnes of the US-contributed food aid to schools and hospitals in rural areas hardest hit by food shortages.
The planned expansion follows public warnings that the country’s food security situation has deteriorated due to flooding in August 2007 and successive poor harvests, while prices of basic food staples like rice, wheat, maize and potatoes have doubled or tripled in recent months.
According to figures released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in April, the country of 23 million people faces a cereal shortfall of more than 1.5 million tonnes — the largest food gap since 2001.
WFP said the US was the biggest donor for its current programme in North Korea, contributing US$38.9 million, followed by South Korea US$20 million, Russia US$8 million, Switzerland US$6.6 million and Germany US$3.4 million.
On Friday, North Korea dismantled parts of its nuclear facility under the watchful eyes of representatives from five other countries involved in the six-party talks aimed at ending Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.