WFP: Food aid shipments for starving North Korea still short
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) will begin to make deliveries of food aid to North Korea as early as April, but the stocks are far below what’s required to adequately feed the country’s malnourished population.
Following an urgent appeal by WFP Feb. 9 — the latest in a series since mid-2002 — more contributions have been received, mostly from Germany, New Zealand, Canada and Norway. These funds will join together with a donation of 60,000 tons of food aid from the United States.
WFP’s operation in North Korea requires about 40,000 tons of food a month, costing more than $14 million.
“Given the long lead time between food aid donations and deliveries — routinely three to four months — we need pledges now in order to feed the hungriest of the hungry in the latter part of the year,” said Masood Hyder, WFP representative in North Korea.