ROME Food aid often does more harm than good, the United Nations food agency admitted yesterday in a report that said that a third of all such aid, worth $600 million (£305 million), is wasted.The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said that emergency aid saved millions of lives but longer-term aid sometimes created dependency on imports, disrupted local markets and delayed reform. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of FAO, said that the aid system should be reformed, with coupons used to buy locally produced food, replacing “tied” food aid from the developed world.
The top recipients of cereals are North Korea, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Kenya, Indonesia, Mozambique, Angola and Jordan. About 854 million people lacked enough food to lead active and healthy lives, the report said.
| Let's look at the list: NKors: total basket case with a poof-thug in charge. Ethiopia: strong enough to whack the Islamic Courts, not strong enough to feed itself. The Bangs: they can't do anything right 'less it looks like they're kowtowing to the Indians. Afghanistan is getting better. Why is Jordan on the list: not kissing Saoodi heinie enough? Pretty much the wasteland of humanity in that list. |