Ethiopia to get 46,000 tons in EU relief food

The European Commission is to provide Ethiopia over 46,000 metric tonnes of relief food for drought-affected people in the northern, north-western, central and southern parts of the country, the African news agency PANA said quoting the EU delegate in Addis Ababa.

The gesture is in response to the government's appeal in June for relief assistance for over 5 million Ethiopians in need of food aid due to the drought that hit parts of the country for the second time in the year.

Of the total EU aid, 44,600 metric tonnes of food grain is to be procured locally by EURONAID, a consortium of European NGOs.

The remaining 1,500 metric tonnes of supplementary food for children will also be procured locally by EURONAID.

There were inadequate rains in parts of Ethiopia during the main rainy season, June-September 1998, as well as during the berg (small rainy) season from February to mid-April.