Food-hit people: WFP needs $107 million to achieve food assistance target

World Food Programme (WFP) needs $107 million to achieve its target of providing food assistance to the most severely flood-affected persons up to February 2012. According to an official of WFP, without donations, the supplies will start running out before the end of November, making it impossible to maintain a full ration delivery.
This will leave WFP with no option but to cut the ration size or number of people assisted since December. Meanwhile, Government of Sindh has allocated 8,333 metric tons of wheat for distribution among flood victims in Sindh. The official of WFP said that the contribution of Sindh Government - enough to provide food to nearly 730,000 people for one month - makes up one-third of the 25,000 tons of wheat pledged by Pakistan to WFP during last month's visit by WFP Deputy Executive Director for Operations, Ramiro Lopes da Silva.
Following a request from the Pakistan authorities, WFP began its emergency operation to provide food rations to people affected by the 2011 floods on September 12. To date, the agency has succeeded in reaching more than 2.4 million people in both Sindh and Balochistan. While floodwaters have begun to recede in recent days, many communities remain cut off and thousands of square kilometres of crops have been lost, with a devastating effect on the livelihoods of millions of people. Farmers say it will be months before they can plant again, leaving them temporarily dependent on food assistance.