Italian rice for poor Jakartans

JAKARTA (JP): The Italian government donated on Tuesday 2,271.45 metric tons of first quality rice to Indonesia to help the poor affected by the country's economic crisis.

The rice donation, worth Rp 8 billion (US$1.1 million), was symbolically handed over by Italian Ambassador Carlo Marsili to State Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin in a ceremony at the State Logistics Office.

Saefuddin said the rice would be distributed by the Food for the Poor Foundation (Pangan Untuk Rakyat Miskin or PaRaM), a nongovernmental organization, to low income families in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Karawang and to 2,000 homeless people around the capital.

He added every family would get 20 kilograms of the rice donation.

Ambassador Marsili said the gift of rice reflected his government's concern for the hardships of Indonesian people. (gis)