The organisation said that it contributed an extra €20-million to the total 2003/04 WFP emergency appeal operation (EMOP) to make €52-million, reportedly so as to avoid any serious disruption in WFP operations that may have occurred because of delays in the receipt of product from other donors.
From the EC’s Food Security budget line, €25-million was reportedly made available last August specifically to procure and distribute maize to Zimbabwe.
A further €7-million was provided in November 2003.
The EC maintained that the total is sufficient to procure, deliver and distribute almost 160 000 t of food to millions of Zimbabweans.
By February 2004, the planned monthly caseload could exceed 4-million people, said the organisation.
The EC also said that it recognises that the food security situation in Zimbabwe remains critical and that without the direct intervention of the international community a significant proportion of the Zimbabwean population is at serious risk.
Although the WFP pipeline is now secured many people outside the WFP and other agency distributions are in need.
In this regard, the EC and the donor community stated that they expect that the government of Zimbabwe will play its part in filling the estimated import gap of 1,28-million tonnes of cereal during the marketing year 2003/2004.
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