ISLAMABAD: The United States contributed on Monday an additional $34 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) which would provide food ration to 3.2m Pakistanis for the next four months to help them combat malnutrition.

Of the 3.2m Pakistanis, 1.63m are Temporary Displaced Persons (TDPs) from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), a US embassy statement said.

The new US funding will enable the WFP to transform approximately 71,000 tons of wheat, donated by Pakistan, into fortified flour. The aid will also be used to purchase, locally and regionally, more than 29,000 tons of food commodities for distribution in Pakistan.

Gregory Gottlieb, the mission director of the United States Agency for International Development, said: “The US government through Usaid is helping Pakistan to improve food and nutrition conditions for more than 50 per cent of the population, which are most vulnerable to malnutrition in the country.

Pakistan ranks third in the global burden of malnutrition. The US has provided over $1.4 billion in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan since 2009 and in 2014, Usaid provided over $80m specifically for food assistance.

Published in Dawn December 23th , 2014