The Jakarta Post

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.