India Yet To Export Grain To Afgh It Promised In 2009:UN.

A United Nation agency has said that India is yet to deliver on its commitment to supply about 250,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan, which is now facing a severe drought due to poor rains and late spring.

"India has already committed to provide around 250,000 tonne of wheat, which is estimated around USD 126-200 million to Afghanistan," said Bradley Guerrant, the World Food Programme (WFP) country director.

India and many western countries had decided to provide billions of dollars towards relief and recovery programs over a three-year period beginning in 2009.

Guerrant said India was yet to commence delivery of the wheat supplies, which was an important "bilateral donation" at a time when there was severe shortfall of 1.9 million tonnes of wheat that could affect about two to three million people.

Guerrant expressed concerns over funding shortage of over USD 202 million to carry its operations in Afghanistan due to scaling down of assistance by major donors, including the United States, following budgetary constraints.

Though donors had committed to providing about USD 1.2 billion to WFP, there is a a shortfall of about USD 202 million, he said.

WFP supports close to 7 million people through different food-assistance programmes that cover school-going children to people facing extreme poverty.

Afghanistan is one of the most malnourished countries in the world, he said, arguing it was important to ensure that adequate supply of micro-nutrients and other food-supplements was continued without interruption.

"Overall, the poor wheat harvest and resulting shortfall will affect some 12 million people, but most of their needs will be covered by measures taken by government," Guerrant said, arguing that around 3 million people needed urgent food assistance.

Analysts feel the drought could force people to turn to poppy cultivation unless international assistance was provided to address the shortages of food supplies.

Source : news.in.msn.com