WFP bought 30,000 tonnes grain for Kenya from S.Africa

By Muchena Zigomo

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The United Nations' World Food Programme has bought 30,000 tonnes of grain and cereal from South Africa this year as part of its food aid operations for drought-hit Kenya, a spokesman for the agency said on Thursday.

"It comprises 27,500 tonnes of maize and 2,500 tonnes of what we call corn-soya blend, which is a mix of corn and soya bean," Richard Lee, the WFP's spokesman for southern Africa, told Reuters.

Kenya has been hit by a severe drought that has affected large parts of east Africa for five years running, with aid agencies saying up to 23 million people in the region are being driven towards severe hunger and destitution.

The WFP says around 3.8 million Kenyans, a 10th of the population, need emergency aid, amid excessive food prices that have soared by up to 180 percent above normal levels due to shortages caused by the drought.

Lee said the U.N. agency had bought the bulk of its food requirements for Kenya from India.

The U.N. agency said in August it needed an additional $230 million to provide emergency food assistance to Kenyans up to February next year.

The government in east Africa's biggest economy liberalised maize imports and sales in February to try to ease prices and make the grain more accessible.

That has seen the country importing 538,436 tonnes of maize from South Africa since the start of the marketing season in May, more than half of South Africa's total exports for the year so far, which are currently at 875,095 tonnes.