Korea doubles food assistance to 100,000 tons for 11 countries

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Korea doubles food assistance to 100,000 tons for 11 countries

Published: 17 Apr. 2024, 18:08

SEO JI-EUN
seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr

A ship loaded with 100,000 tons of rice for international aid is anchored at Gunsan Port in North Jeolla, ready for departure, on Wednesday. [MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS]

Korea is doubling its food aid through the World Food Programme to 100,000 tons starting this year.

The number of recipient countries will be expanded to 11.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held an event commemorating the expansion at Gunsan Port in North Jeolla on Wednesday, where operations are already underway to load 15,000 tons of rice set for departure to Bangladesh on May 3, enough for 1.16 million Rohingya refugees.

Additional ships loaded with rice are set to depart from Mokpo Port, Ulsan Port and Busan New Port between May and June.

Since joining the UN Food Assistance Convention in 2018, Korea has provided 50,000 tons of rice annually with six recipients at most.

This year marks the first time the quantity has doubled to 100,000 tons, with support expanded to 11 countries considering the urgency based on the Global Hunger Index and the recipient countries' acceptance of Korean rice.

In addition to Bangladesh, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique and Sierra Leone in Africa were also added to the list this year. The African countries of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda and Afghanistan in Asia and Yemen in the Middle East remained on the list.

This increased aid can sustain approximately 2.6 million vulnerable people for three months, according to the Food Ministry.

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryung, center, and others press the departure button at the ceremony held at Gunsan Port in North Jeolla to mark the shipment of 100,000 tons of rice aid on Wednesday. [MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS]

Moreover, the ministry is implementing the "K-Rice Belt Project", establishing rice seed production facilities in Africa and distributing high-yield rice seeds to farmers to address production shortages.

"Korea is the only country in the world that has transformed from a recipient to a donor country in food aid in just half a century," Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryung said. "We will continue to expand not only food aid but also the K-Rice Belt Project, fulfilling our role and responsibilities in the international community."

Domestic transportation and shipping operations are managed by CJ Logistics, Korea's largest logistics company. The company has been involved for seven consecutive years since the government initiated food aid in 2018.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]