WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2005 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it will donate 3,350 metric tons of U.S. agricultural commodities valued at $2.7 million to Food for the Poor, Inc. (FFTP), a private voluntary organization, for a child education and nutrition project in Nicaragua.

The donation includes 400 tons of soybean oil, 350 tons of wheat flour, 200 tons of textured soy protein, 350 tons of corn, 200 tons of buckwheat groats, 200 tons of dehydrated potato products, 750 tons of rice, 600 tons of light red kidney beans, and 300 tons of corn-soy blend.

FFTP will use these commodities to provide a direct distribution school feeding program benefiting 65,000 school children. The donation will improve child health, child literacy and school attendance, as well as promote early childhood education in Nicaragua.

The donation will be made under the McGovern–Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, administered by the Foreign Agricultural Service. The supply period for this donation is fiscal year 2005.

The McGovern–Dole program provides for USDA donations of agricultural commodities to promote education, child development and food security for some of the world’s poorest children. This year, USDA expects to provide 112,000 tons of U.S. commodities to 15 countries under this program.

For further information, contact Nicola David Sakhleh of FAS at (202) 720-4228, or by e-mail at Sakhlehn@fas.usda.gov.

FAS news releases are available on the Internet at http://www.fas.usda.gov.

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PR 0125-05