The United States has announced 40 million U.S. dollars in food aid for Bangladesh, which is facing shortages after floods and a devastating cyclone last year.
James F. Moriarty, the U.S. ambassador to Dhaka, said Sunday about 10 million dollars would be used to meet emergency food needs while the rest would be distributed over the next three years, mainly through school feeding programs.
The emergency aid will primarily benefit people who lost their property in last year's Tropical Cyclone Sidr, Moriarty said.
Sidr hit Bangladesh on Nov. 15, killing some 3,400 people and destroying crops across the southern coastal region. Two earlier floods displaced millions and washed away crops in the central and northern regions.
The government is struggling to feed the country's 150 million people, faced with food shortages and rising world food prices. The South Asian delta nation expects good harvests over the next two months but officials say it still will be short at least 3.3 million tons of food.
A good portion of the new U.S. food aid will be used to feed pregnant and lactating mothers and children, Moriarty said.
Under the school feeding program, some 350,000 children will receive high-energy biscuits, he said. The aid is also expected to reduce school dropouts.
Source:Xinhua
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