DUSAHNBE, November 4, 2008, -- USA distributed wheat seeds among poor communities of Tajik regions, reported U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan press release, according to CA News.

Tracey Ann Jacobson, the U.S. Ambassador, took part in distribution of wheat seeds to poor communities and members of Water Users Associations in the Shahritus rayon of Khatlon region of Tajikistan (south), informed U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe.

“The United States Government is very much aware of the effect that the global food crisis is having in Tajikistan, as well as other parts of the developing world. The wheat seed program is part of a $6 million special assistance package offered by the United States to help Tajik families through the coming winter and ensure a better harvest next fall. Our program also includes cash and food for the most vulnerable households in Tajikistan," said Tracey Ann Jacobson.

Global food prices have increased more than forty percent from 2007 as a result of adverse weather, increased demand, and increasing costs of agricultural inputs. The additional cost of food is more acutely felt by the poor as a greater percentage of their budget must go towards purchasing food. Increases in the cost of major food staples of maize, rice, and wheat have recently sparked riots in several countries around the world.

To help mitigate the food crisis, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Water Users Association Support Program (WUASP) implemented by Winrock International, is providing six hundred tons of top-quality wheat seed for distribution to farmers in Tajikistan. The increase in wheat production through the additional seed will greatly assist in alleviating shortages of wheat, particularly for the most vulnerable, and thereby improve food insecurity in Tajikistan.