The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) announced in Geneva Monday that a staggering two million tons of food have now been delivered to Iraq since its emergency operation started on April 1.

"This is the largest amount of food assistance ever delivered in a single emergency operation over such a brief period," said WFP Executive Director James Morris.

"The task of providing such volumes of food aid to the entire population of Iraq, 27 million people, over seven months is an incredible achievement carried out under very difficult circumstances," he added.

The WFP said six transport corridors, from Turkey, Syria/Lebanon, Kuwait, Iran, Jordan and the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, have been used to deliver food into the 18 governorates inside Iraq. With the logistics operations now being scaled down, only Jordan, Syria and Umm Qasr remain active.

According to the WFP, part of its role in ensuring a steady supply of food into Iraq is the renegotiation of Oil for Food contracts under Security Council Resolution 1483. Since August 2003, the WFP has successfully re-negotiated 294 contracts for 2.2million tons of food valued at more than US$900 million for delivery into Iraq through June 2004.

Although Iraq has benefited from a better cereal harvest and the lifting of economic sanctions, much of the country's population is poor and still in need of assistance, according to a recent WFP food supply and nutrition assessment.

The aid agency warned that while a food crisis has been averted, the nutritional situation of several million mothers and children in central and southern Iraq is still cause for concern.

(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2003)