China on Wednesday donated 1.23 billion shillings (US$1 million)
to Tanzania to assist its fight against the drought-caused food
shortage.
Tanzanian Prime Minister Edward Lowassa described the Chinese
donation as a "big shot in the arm" and said that the cash donation
had offered more room for his government to maneuver in its fight
against the food shortage.
While representing the Chinese government for the donation,
Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Yu Qingtai said that the Chinese
government is paying close attention to the drought situation in
Tanzania and is in the belief that the Tanzanian government is well
capable of leading its people out of the current situation, which
the ambassador described as "temporary difficulties."
"We are very determined to get out of the current situation and
we still have enough (relief food reserve) in stock," the prime
minister assured the Chinese ambassador.
Tanzania has some 57,000 tons of relief food in stock in the
country's Strategic Grain Reserves.
A mid-February state survey estimated that 3,764,843 people in
618,816 households in 10 of Tanzania's 26 administrative regions
needed 99,676 tons of relief food between February and April prior
to the onset of the annual long rain season.
While delivering relief food to drought-affected areas
throughout the country, the Tanzanian government has also waived
import duties on maize to encourage traders to import more maize to
help alleviate the food shortages.
(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2006)
