KABUL, Nov 17: The UN World Food Programme (WFP) renewed calls on Friday for urgent funds to buy food for millions of Afghans facing shortage this winter, with drought taking hold in some parts of the destitute country. “Our stocks are empty,” a spokesman for the United Nations programme, Ebadullah Ebadi, told AFP.

The world body needed $30 million for its winter food delivery to 3.5 million Afghans who relied on its help, he said.

Another three million who were not covered by the WFP were also “severely and chronically affected” by food shortages, Mr Ebadi said.

“In addition to this, 1.9 (million people) have been affected by drought,” he said.

The WFP has received only 34 per cent of the funds it requested for programmes that include food distribution across the war-ravaged country, he said, adding though the shortage did not mean the population faced starvation.

The world body this month cut one of its programmes -- providing enriched food to school children -- because of a lack of money, Mr Ebadi said.

The programme also covers women in refugee camps and remote inaccessible areas during winter.

Trying to recover from nearly 30 years of war, Afghanistan is heavily dependent on aid in every arena, from fighting the resurgent Taliban movement toppled from government in 2,001 to rebuilding its shattered infrastructure.

Drought in the south and west had almost entirely wiped out the rain-dependent wheat harvest in some areas, the Christian Aid agency said in September.

The UN said last month that around 20,000 families -- some 100,000 people -- had also been displaced by conflict in the south, which sees the worst of clashes between the Taliban and foreign and Afghan security forces.

The country's population is estimated at between 26 and 30 million, with the last official census taken in 1979.

50 KILLED IN FLOOD: Flash floods caused by heavy rains have killed nearly 50 people in western Afghanistan with 60 more missing, according to Afghan health ministry.