White House
14 April 2008
The Bush administration says it is working to provide additional food aid to hunger-ravaged countries that need it most. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from the White House, the initiative comes at a time when food prices have been rising sharply around the world, and many nations are complaining of severe shortages of basic goods.
The Bush administration notes that the United States is already the world's largest emergency food provider, contributing more than $2 billion in food aid last year that reached tens of millions of people in dozens of countries.
President Bush is not alone in calling for action. World Bank President Robert Zoellick is warning that surging food prices could push 100 million people in low-income nations into deeper poverty. Zoellick has called on food donor nations to provide an additional $500 million worth of immediate aid to combat the situation - a goal he says has only been partially met to date.