USAID’s Food for Peace (FFP) office has awarded a grant to the World Food Program for a local purchase of 12,783 metric tons of wheat from the Ministry of Agricultural, Irrigation and Livestock’s Strategic Grain Reserve.  This wheat is enough to feed more than 500,000 vulnerable people for approximately three months and is specifically intended to replace the food aid for Afghanistan that was destroyed by floods in Pakistan in August while stored in warehouses awaiting transport to Afghanistan.

The purchase from the Ministry also supports the evolving strategy of Afghanistan’s Strategic Grain Reserve, which was established as a means to reduce the country’s vulnerability to drought and other emergencies that might affect harvests, prices, and food availability.  The sale allows the Ministry to sell the grain in the reserve stocks, which has been stored for about one year for timely distribution, and then hold the funds until new stocks are purchased.

USAID awarded the $15 million grant to the World Food Program’s Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation.  During the last decade, USAID has been the largest donor to the World Food Program in Afghanistan.  In fiscal year 2010, USAID provided 44,800 Metric Tons of mixed commodities worth $47.2 million to the World Food Program.  Thus far in fiscal year 2011, USAID has provided 33,213 Metric Tons of mixed commodities worth $45 million.