WFP Classifies Egypt as Low-income, Food-deficient Country
By Nadine Kenawy 27/2/2008
The World Food Programme (WFP) classified Egypt among the low-income and food-deficient countries in its report released this month which monitors operational requirements and budget deficits and priorities for 2008.
According to the report, the budget set by the programme to help Egypt in 2008 suffers a deficit of up to 91%, and the 'Self' programme launched by WFP in Egypt in January 2007 for enabling self-reliance and which ends in 2011, also suffers a deficit of up to 57.28%.
The international programme aiming to curb hunger also warned that it was forced to review the costing of its projects worldwide this year due to the increase in food prices and the significant decline in donations to WFP.
WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran told the Financial Times newspaper the agency would look at cutting food rations or even the number of people reached around the world if donors did not provide more money, adding that the programme's ability to reach people is going down just as the need is going up.
"We are seeing a new face of hunger in which people are being priced out of the food market. That hunger is now affecting many countries," she added.
The Financial Times added in its yesterday's report that the main focus of WFP to date has been to provide aid in areas where food was unavailable, but the programme now faces having to help countries where the price of food, rather than shortages, is the problem.
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