Binyam Tamane
5 March 2008
Addis Ababa — A grant agreement amounting 5.01 million USD (approximately 47.55 million ETB) was signed here on Tuesday between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Japanese government to stabilize the augmentation of food price in Ethiopia.
Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia Kinichi Komano and State Minister of Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED) Mekonnen Manyazewal signed the agreement at a ceremony held at the MOFED.
The Japanese Ambassador on the occasion said the food aid will stabilize the increment of food price and help the needy people in the country and expressed ambition that the aid be used effectively.
The State Minister on his part spoke on how the food aid will assist to appease the current demand of the people and its role to reduce the current food price.
According to the agreement, the Japanese grant will be used for the purchase and transportation of wheat from any company which is eligible to bid.
Head of Bilateral Cooperation Department with MOFED, Hailemichael Kinfu, told the Daily Monitor that the Japanese government has been donating food aid for 15 years through DPPC for only emergency purposes. The donation was discontinued for a short period of time and started again in 2000.
"But now there is another tendency which is to sell the wheat in the cities for the people after discussions of the two parties." The volume of Japanese food aid is significantly increasing since the year 2006, it was learnt.
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