From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Tue Feb 24 2009 - 19:18:18 EST
Ethiopian food aid caught up in Djibouti port congestion
Addis Ababa - 24/02/2009
Ethiopian authorities said Tuesday efforts were underway to transport
more than 60,000 metric tonnes of food aid caught up for months in the
Port of Djibouti following congestion at the facility. State Minister
for Agriculture and Food Security Mitiku Kassa said the governmen t had
made arrangements to free at least 3,000 metric tonnes of food aid,
delaye d at the Port of Djibouti, further inland.
Ethiopia has no port and the government has to arrange for its imports
to move further inland, using heavy trucks.
The delay in having the food aid delivered inland saw government cancel
the food aid distribution for January.
However, Kassa said the country did not face any emergency food aid
distribution in January and there was no need for urgent distribution.
"We had to move sufficient number of trucks to Djibouti to ferry the
food to the central warehouses inland," the minister said after
unveiling Ethiopia's nation a l appeal for food aid assistance for 2009.
Ethiopia uses the Port of Djibouti for its imports but the port lacks
sufficient storage capacity, often leading to congestion.
"There is congestion in Djibouti. We are working to avoid this. This has
been due to the lack of warehouses. We have discussed with the Ethiopian
Embassy in Djibouti and the port officials. The issue now is about
transport and lack of warehouses," the minister told journalists.
Ethiopia is facing acute famine this year, which could affect up to 4.9
million people unless well-wishers provide enough funds to enable the
country buy food a i d.
The country requires some 591,000 metric tonnes of relief food.
Efforts to have the 60,000 metric tonnes of food still locked up in
Djibouti are , however, progressing.
"There are 3,000 metric tonnes of food crossing into Ethiopia daily,"
the minist er disclosed.
The government says it has been forced to use some of the cereals in its
national grain reserves on loan basis to provide assistance to those in
dire need of food.
However, the amount of food already utilized from the national food
reserves must be returned when the food aid arrives in the country.
Ethiopia keeps between 400,000 to 500,000 metric tonnes of food aid for
emergencies.
The government also says the national food reserves have recently
improved by some 170,000 metric tonnes.
Addis Ababa - 24/02/2009
Pana
http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/ethiopian-food-aid-caught-up-
in-djibouti-port-congestion-2009022422588.html
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----