The Jakarta Post

The government signed on Thursday a US$60.5 million grant with United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) to provide food for the poor, refugees and to finance food-security programs in the country.

The letter of understanding (LOU) for the grant was signed by Kwik Kian Gie, the State Minister of National Development Planning/Chairman of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), and Mohammed Saleheen, WFP representative/country director, according to a statement from Bappenas.

The $60.5 million grant consists of $37 million worth of commodities, including 172,800 tons of rice, 2,920 tons of beans, and 1,460 tons of cooking oil.

The program, which is called "protracted relief and recovery operation", aims to feed poor families in Jakarta and its surrounding areas (Jabotabek), Surabaya and internally-displaced people in several provinces; to provide nutritional supplements for and nutrition education for babies and mothers; and to finance food-security advocacy programs.

Some of the grant will also be used to strengthen the capability of local non-governmental organizations and governments to handle the food crisis.

Bappenas will act as the coordinator of the program, while the execution will be carried out by WFP and related departments.

The statement however did not provide details on the timeframe for the implementation of the program.

WFP also has a $65-million relief operation to feed the poor in Jabotabek and Surabaya, as well as refugees in several provinces, helping babies and mothers for six months from July 1 to Dec. 31.

Through this program, WFP supplies rice to 1.5 million urban poor, gives rice to 300,000 internally displaced people as well as blended food to children under two years of age and their mothers.

In 1998-1999, when Indonesia was hit by the economic crisis and drought, the agency launched a $135.8 million aid program to provide food for the poor in rural and urban areas.