Food crisis may affect 400,000

Food crisis may affect 400,000

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Over 400,000 people in 468
subdistricts in East Nusa Tenggara could be affected by a food
crisis following a prolonged drought and harvest failures in the
province, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The local stock of staple foods rice and corn is only
sufficient for four months, said the head of the provincial Food
Resiliency Body, Petrus Langoday.

Some residents are already beginning to rely on cassava and
nuts because of rice shortages, said Petrus. He said the
government had begun to distribute some 2,000 tons of rice to
areas most in need of help. -- JP