US envoy wants food aid reduced
Jan 30, 2004
THE US ambassador, Jimmy Kolker, has said he is eager to see Uganda’s dependence on American emergency relief food supplies drastically reduced
By Yunusu Abbey
THE US ambassador, Jimmy Kolker, has said he is eager to see Uganda’s dependence on American emergency relief food supplies drastically reduced.
“I look forward to the day we shall be celebrating not how much emergency food the United States is supplying to Uganda but how little.
“The goal is not food aid but food security,†said Kolker, who was on Thursday visiting the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse at Nalukolongo, Kampala.
The function was organised to thank the US government for the food aid contributions it gave to the WFP in Uganda last year.
The US-donated relief supplies were distributed mainly to about 1.4 million Internally Displaced People, refugees and other vulnerable groups in the country.
“I look forward to the day when people in Gulu, Kitgum, Pader, Karamoja and every part of Uganda can produce all the food they need.
“Let’s turn Uganda's food productivity into an opportunity,†Kolker said, adding that Uganda is blessed with climate that enables most people to grow their own food.
He said Uganda had the potential to export food.
“Let’s be sure that more food reaches the north, the convoys are protected and given access to the remote camps,†Kolker said.
“The Government has given a small but significant contribution to purchase locally-grown food as well. But much more needs to be done. I urge the Uganda government, well-meaning people and organisations throughout the country to join this effort,†Kolker said.
Ken Davies, the WFP country director in Uganda, said the $74m worth of assistance given to Uganda through WFP in 2003 was crucial in preventing a severe food crisis, particularly among the people displaced by the conflict in northern and eastern Uganda.
Davies said last year WFP purchased over 106,000 tonnes of food in Uganda worth more than $24m. He said this was a significant contribution to the local economy.
THE US ambassador, Jimmy Kolker, has said he is eager to see Uganda’s dependence on American emergency relief food supplies drastically reduced.
“I look forward to the day we shall be celebrating not how much emergency food the United States is supplying to Uganda but how little.
“The goal is not food aid but food security,†said Kolker, who was on Thursday visiting the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse at Nalukolongo, Kampala.
The function was organised to thank the US government for the food aid contributions it gave to the WFP in Uganda last year.
The US-donated relief supplies were distributed mainly to about 1.4 million Internally Displaced People, refugees and other vulnerable groups in the country.
“I look forward to the day when people in Gulu, Kitgum, Pader, Karamoja and every part of Uganda can produce all the food they need.
“Let’s turn Uganda's food productivity into an opportunity,†Kolker said, adding that Uganda is blessed with climate that enables most people to grow their own food.
He said Uganda had the potential to export food.
“Let’s be sure that more food reaches the north, the convoys are protected and given access to the remote camps,†Kolker said.
“The Government has given a small but significant contribution to purchase locally-grown food as well. But much more needs to be done. I urge the Uganda government, well-meaning people and organisations throughout the country to join this effort,†Kolker said.
Ken Davies, the WFP country director in Uganda, said the $74m worth of assistance given to Uganda through WFP in 2003 was crucial in preventing a severe food crisis, particularly among the people displaced by the conflict in northern and eastern Uganda.
Davies said last year WFP purchased over 106,000 tonnes of food in Uganda worth more than $24m. He said this was a significant contribution to the local economy.