India considering UN World Food Programme's proposal for wheat donation to Afghanistan

India is considering a request from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to donate wheat for Afghanistan, where a crisis unfolded with nearly 14 million people facing starvation.

Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself called out the Taliban’s interim government in Afghanistan for a lack of inclusivity, his government is considering supporting the UN and its WFP in responding to the food crisis in Afghanistan. A source in New Delhi said that the government would soon take a call on the WFP’s request keeping in mind India’s “historical relationship” with the people of Afghanistan.

The WFP is also discussing with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government in Islamabad the possibility of the consignment of wheat donated by India being transported to Afghanistan through Pakistan, another source said.

Even before the Taliban took over Kabul, a humanitarian crisis was already unfolding in Afghanistan, as a result of continued conflict, severe drought, Covid-19 pandemic, failing health system and economic slowdown. It worsened after the government of President Ashraf Ghani collapsed on August 15 and the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan through a swift military blitz, taking advantage of the withdrawal of troops by the United States and its NATO allies. Job losses, scarcity of cash and food and soaring prices of essentials across the country prompted the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to urge the international community last month to raise $606 million to respond to the unfolding situation.

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The WFP estimated that one in every three Afghans had already been facing severe hunger and now 95 percent of families were not consuming enough food, marking an increase of 15 per cent in just a month.

The conflict-ravaged nation is on the brink of economic collapse, with the local currency at an all-time low and food prices on the rise. “Acute malnutrition is above emergency thresholds in 27 out of 34 provinces, and is expected to worsen, with almost half of children under five and a quarter of pregnant and breastfeeding women needing life-saving nutrition support in the next 12 months,” the WFP stated in a global appeal for support for Afghanistan.

It underlined that the international community must provide help urgently before the winter could set in as it would have to preposition food stocks in strategic locations across Afghanistan. “Once the snow sets in, roads will be cut off and communities stranded. This lean season, (the) WFP food assistance will be the only lifeline for many Afghans”.

The WFP estimated that it would urgently need $200 million to help people in need across Afghanistan between now and the end of the year.

The WFP held talks with the Government of India over the past couple of weeks about the proposed donation of wheat for Afghanistan, Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the UN agency’s country director in Kabul, said.

Afghanistan has a wheat deficit of 2.5 million tonnes this year.

The UN Secretary General on September 13 had convened a meeting on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had attended the meeting on behalf of the Government of India. He had stressed on creating an “enabling environment” in Afghanistan for the international community to send humanitarian aid for the people of the war-torn country.

India has provided more than 1 million metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan over the past decade and had last year alone assisted Afghanistan with 75,000 metric tonnes of wheat. India had also partnered with the WFP for distribution of high protein biscuits over several years. The wheat consignment was sent from India to Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port in Iran.

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