Ethiopian Food Aid Need Rising

ADDIS ABABA - Sep 23/02 - IRIN -- Ethiopia is facing a massive food shortfall because of the severity of the drought that has hit the country, the UN World Food Program (WFP) said on Friday.

"Needs have increased substantially over recent months and the revised shortfall to the end of 2002 is expected to be over 200,000 (metric) tons," it said.

The Ethiopian government and the United Nations are expected to make an appeal for food aid later this week in which they will revise the numbers of people in need.

Currently the Ethiopian government's emergency arm - the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission - believes some 5.9 million people need food aid.

In Afar region, tens of thousands of cattle carcasses have been destroyed by Oxfam to stop the spread of infections. Severe malnutrition has been reported in some areas as well as some deaths.

Concern is also mounting over West Haraghe in Oromiya region. "Poor rainfall has been compounded by the cumulative effects of three to five years of partial crop failures" in the area, WFP noted.

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2002

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