BRUSSELS, March 4 (Reuters) - The European Commission will hand out 160 million euros ($243.4 million) in food aid this year and could give more if rising food prices make it even more difficult for the poor to buy food, it said on Tuesday. The EU aid, which an EU spokesman said was the biggest annual amount to date, will help nearly 19 million people, with priority given to 17 countries including Sudan, Chad and Zimbabwe, as well as the Palestinian territories, the EU executive said. The aid comes after a warning by the World Food Programme that it will have to cut food donations to some poor nations if donors do not pay more soon to help make up for soaring commodities prices. "Our concern is to avoid financial drought. This may not be a tsunami or an earthquake but price inflation still generates humanitarian needs," EU Commission aid spokesman John Clancy told a news briefing. Clancy said the EU executive could use more money from a reserve it has for humanitarian catastrophes, if necessary. Josette Sheeran, executive director of the Rome-based World Food Programme, appealed to members of Congress and the Bush administration in a visit to Washington last week to help meet a $500 million shortfall for fiscal 2008. Aid officials -- just like consumers -- face higher prices for crops on open markets, along with more expensive shipping and overland travel. European Commission food aid is channelled mostly through the World Food Programme. The rest is handled by non-governmental agencies and the Red Cross.Higher prices have triggered riots in some countries and prompted some governments to adopt export bans or other measures to help address local needs. (Reporting by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Julien Ponthus and Caroline Drees)
Fresh tree stumps line a street in Chad's capital N'Djamena February 29, 2008. Rocket propelled grenades and cannon fire during a recent rebel attack on the capital snapped off many of ...
Food and hunger
