USDA donating food to 22 nations

The Department of Agriculture's 2004 Food for Progress program includes donations for 22 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. These "allocations are part of the Bush Administration's ongoing efforts to promote economic growth and address global hunger," states Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman. "The United States is the world's largest food aid donor and a leader in supporting market-oriented development. USDA provided over $500,000,000 in international food assistance under our 2003 programs."

The allocations include more than 250,000 metric tons of wheat and flour, rice, vegetable oils, soybeans and soy products, corn, beans, peas, and other commodities that will be purchased on the U.S. market and donated. They will go to private voluntary organizations and the United Nations World Food Program primarily to support agricultural development projects.

Development projects--including infrastructure, training, and microcredit programs--are funded by sales of donated commodities within the recipient nations. In Afghanistan, for example, a new Agricultural Development Fund will assist emerging rural enterprises and producer-processor organizations. In Zambia, the donations will support microcredit for farmers and rural businesses, while the initiative for Honduras will establish cooperative distribution systems and help small farmers diversify their crops.

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