S. Korea Sent 15,000 Tonnes of Rice to Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh Through World Food Programme

S. Korea Sent 15,000 Tonnes of Rice to Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh Through World Food Programme

Sejong, 22 July 2024 - The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Korea (MAFRA), this year, sent 100,000 tonnes of rice in food aid to countries and refugees suffering from food shortages. This is a follow-up measure for the G7 summit held in the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 2023. Accordingly, in 2024, the MAFRA has doubled the size of its food aid from 50,000 tonnes to 100,000 tonnes and has increased the number of recipient countries from 5 to 11.

The Republic of Korea joined the Food Assistance Convention (FAC) in 2018, and has since provided 50,000 tonnes of rice in food aid to African and other countries every year. This year, the People's Republic of Bangladesh and five African countries have been added to the list of the recipient countries, which brings the total number of recipient countries to eleven.

•Asia: the People's Republic of Bangladesh (newly added) and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

•Africa: the Republic of Guinea-Bissau (newly added), the Republic of Madagascar (newly added), the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (newly added), the Republic of Mozambique (newly added), the Republic of Sierra Leone (newly added), the Republic of Uganda, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and the Republic of Kenya.

•Middle East: the Republic of Yemen

On 17 April at the South Korean Port of Gunsan, the MAFRA held an event to celebrate the departure of a ship carrying the food aid. A ship carrying 15,000 tonnes of rice departed from the Port of Gunsan on 1 May and arrived in Bangladesh on 18 May. The other ships carrying the remaining 85,000 tonnes of rice departed from the Port of Mokpo, the Port of Ulsan, and Busan New Port and then arrived in 10 recipient countries by 17 July.

After the South Korean rice arrived in Bangladesh, the World Food Programme of the United Nations (WFP), in cooperation with the MAFRA, enriched the rice by adding zinc, iron, folic acid, and vitamins A, B1, and B12 to improve refugees' nutritional status. The enriched rice can prevent malnutrition on its own, amid micronutrient deficiencies worsening in the refugee camps due to dwindling food supplies.

On 16 July, there was an event to hand over the 15,000 tonnes of rice in aid to the camp of Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. The WFP will supply this rice to approximately one million Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar and Bhashan Char. The remaining 85,000 tonnes of rice sent to 10 other countries will also be distributed sequentially to people in need of food, including refugees.