India has recently donated 10,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced the donation in a tweet on Monday, saying that it will help feed vulnerable families suffering from food insecurity.
“Wheat donated by the Government of India arrived in Herat, where it was milled for distribution to hungry families across Afghanistan,” the UN agency said.
“This wheat is part of an in-kind contribution of 10,000 metric tons from India, on top of 40,000 tons in 2022.”
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan is facing “unprecedented levels” of food insecurity, malnutrition, water shortages, and drought, the UN has warned.
The WFP said in its latest report that its food assistance has helped 15.3 million people who are believed to be acutely food-insecure since the beginning of this year, including 2.8 million people in need of emergency assistance. However, 8 million people were cut from the emergency food assistance program since April due to funding shortfalls.
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), $2.26 billion is needed between June and December 2023 to provide essential multi-sectoral assistance to over 20 million people in Afghanistan.
