On 14th June 2012, His Excellency Germán Ferrás Alvarez, Ambassador of Cuba in DPR Korea, welcomed the arrival of 844mt of sugar donated by Cuba to DPR Korea and Nampo port
In June of this year, his Excellency Germán Ferrás Alvarez, Ambassador of Cuba in DPR Korea, welcomed the arrival of 844 tons of sugar donated by the Government of Cuba to DPR Korea and Nampo port.
“It’s very important for us to donate raw sugar, one of our national products with a high nutritious value and to know that, through WFP, it will assist communities with the greatest need in the country,” says Ambassador Alvarez.
As the off-loading of the sugar began, the Cuban Ambassador was invited to open one of the sealed containers in Nampo port. The sugar was then loaded into trucks and will be distributed to13 factories throughout the country.
Together with other ingredients, the sugar will be used to produce biscuits and Super Cereals locally. They will be distributed to children in nurseries, kindergartens, primary schools and hospitals, and to pregnant and nursing mothers.
The sugar donated by Cuba will help produce 4,000 tons of biscuits and Super Cereals, enough to provide assistance to 2.5 million children and women for nearly two months.
“The role of WFP is crucial since they are always present in the places where there is a real need for assistance. As a Cuban citizen, it’s fantastic to see where our donations go,” Ambassador Alvarez adds.
Since 1998, the production of locally fortified blended food has been at the heart of WFP efforts to address undernutrition and fight hunger in DPR Korea. A network of local factories produce biscuits and Super Cereals that are enriched with vitamins and minerals and distributed as supplementary food to children and women.
The DPRK government contributes to the project by providing the factories, warehouses, staff, electrical power and maintenance. In turn, WFP provides the basic raw materials for biscuit and Super Cereal production, cooking mix (iodized salt and baking soda), and micronutrient premix (vitamins and minerals) for fortification. WFP also supplies packaging materials, spare parts, and technical expertise in food processing and fortification. Local production is considerably cheaper than importing Super Cereals and biscuits from outside DPRK.
Since 2005, Cuba has donated almost US$10 million to WFP’s operations around the world. Cuba has long been providing raw sugar for DPRK through WFP.
Spokesperson for South and East Asia
Marcus Prior, a former journalist, was WFP's East Africa spokesperson before coming to Bangkok in 2010 to head up public relations in South and East Asia.