ISLAMABAD: The United States and Pakistan signed an agreement on Tuesday under which the US will provide 46,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Pakistan to replenish domestic wheat used to feed survivors of the October 8 earthquake. Ryan C Crocker, the US ambassador, and Khalid Saeed, secretary Economic Affairs Division (EAD) signed the agreement.
The US Department of Agriculture is donating $12 million to procure and transport US soft white wheat to the Pakistan Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. The wheat will replace an equivalent amount made available soon after the earthquake to feed over one million earthquake affected people from November 2005 to March 2006.
“The winter wheat will travel from Portland, Oregon in the US to the Karachi port to replenish the food stocks for earthquake affected people. “We are pleased to help our friend and long-time ally re-establish its food supplies,” he said.
Commending the Pakistani government’s efforts in helping the earthquake-affected people, the US Ambassador said, “Pakistan is making efforts to provide necessary assistance to those affected”. He said the US had pledged a total of $510 million for the earthquake relief and reconstruction efforts..
Khalid Saeed thanked the US government for extending the food support. Over 2.1 million people in need of assistance have been identified by the Pakistan Federal Relief Commission (FRC) based on data provided by the district and provincial governments in the NWFP and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. staff report
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