Gutierrez was addressing a press conference on the current food crisis in the sub region, at the end of a two-day visit to Lesotho as part of a Southern African tour.
He said 650 000 people affected by food shortages in Lesotho would be assisted by Opec emergency food aid in the next 12 months.
Gutierrez thanked Lesotho's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for its effective management and distribution of food aid.
The Opec grant to Lesotho will help purchase nearly 600 t of nutritious corn-soya blend which will be used as part of a general household ration and for special feeding programmes for school children, mothers and people living with HIV/Aids.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dan Phororo, said that on current assessments a large number of people in Lesotho, especially people living with HIV/Aids and their families, would remain vulnerable to food shortages during the 2003-04 agricultural season.
They will require 32 000 t of maize which will be partly provided by the Opec Fund food aid.
The Opec mission will complete its tour of southern Africa with visits to Swaziland and Mozambique. – Sapa.
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
