PRESS RELEASE

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UN World Food Program:
Hyperinflation Kills

March 24, 2008 (EIRNS)— Over the Easter weekend, the World Food Program sent a letter to donating countries, asking for an extra $500 million in funds to maintain operations. The Rome-based WFP, the world's largest humanitarian agency, provides food to as many as 70 million people worldwide. In a Monday conference call, agency representatives said they are experiencing a funding shortfall of $600-700 million, after "a 20% jump in food costs in the past three weeks." Of the additional money, 25% of it would go directly to additional fuel costs for distribution. With extra funds, agency budget would be double last year, at $3.4 billion.

A new addition to the obviously needy places in the world, is the once stable country of Afghanistan, which was food self-sufficient until the Blair/Cheney Global War on Terror allowed that country's farmland to be turned into the world's largest source of opium-producing poppies.