Milling & Baking News - January 4, 2005 - 25

E X P O R T

A N D

Agencies deliver rice, wheat flour
to tsunami survivors in Asia, Pacific

T R A D E

I S S U E S

Cargill, Inc., Minneapolis, matches
individual worker donations made to the
Red Cross, said Mark Murphy, manager

tions. Overall donations pledged to the
Places to donate
United Nations on Jan. 2 included about
Several United Nations and non-governmen$1.5 billion in cash.
tal humanitarian agencies provide means for
The U.N. Food and Agricultural Orgaindividuals wishing to donate directly to relief
nization conducted damage assessment
efforts related to the tsunamis in South Asia.
missions in affected countries last week.
They include the following:
Damage to crops and agricultural land
* World Food Programme: www.wfp.org
was assessed, which will help the F.A.O.
* United Nations Children's Fund:
plan its agriwww.unicef.org
cultural reha* American Red Cross: www.redcross.org
bilitation and
* Save the Children: www.savethechildren.org
food security
* Care: www.careusa.org
activities.
* Catholic Relief Services:
On Jan. 6
www.catholicrelief.org
Mr. Annan is
* World Vision: www.worldvision.org
expected to an* American Jewish Joint Distribution Comnounce an apmittee Inc.: www.jdc.org
peal for the next
* Mercy Corps: www.mercycorps.org/
six months.
splash/ MBN
"The needs
are enormous,"
Mr. Annan said.
"They
need of corporate citizenship for Cargill. More
food. They need than $64 million had been donated to the
clean
water. American Red Cross International ReThey need shel- sponse Fund as of Dec. 31.
Sri Lankans load sacks of rice donated by Norway through the World ter. They need
"Because of our global offices around
Food Programme, as aid begins to trickle into Galle. The town was medication."
the world, we get touched by natural
severely damaged after a Dec. 26 tsunami hit southern Sri Lanka.
Many relief disasters often," Mr. Murphy said. "We
agencies prefer have learned from working with the Red
to survivors, said Andrew S. Natsios, cash donations. Food or clothing dona- Cross that the very best means of helpUSAID administrator.
tions may lead to transportation costs ing is through cash donations."
"The appeals we're seeing from Sri Lanka and logistical problems.
U.S. Wheat encouraged individuals to
and elsewhere are for rice and flour, some"If people give commodities, it will make financial contributions. The orgathing that can be immediately transported, take a month to get there, and the trans- nization's web site at www.uswheat.org
immediately used," said Dawn Forsythe, portation costs are more than the value gives links to different charity organizadirector of public affairs for the U.S. Wheat of the commodity," Mr. Natsios said.
tions and tips on how to donate. MBN
Associates, based in Washington. "Wheat
takes a while to get in the pipeline."
In addition to rice and flour, other
items, mostly noodles and medicines,
were being distributed in Sumatra.
MINNEAPOLIS - Representatives of Cargill, Inc. and U.S. Wheat Associates reported
The grain-based foods industry made
news of survival after tsunamis hit countries bordering the Indian Ocean Dec. 26.
at least one significant donation last
Cargill, based in Minneapolis, employs about 9,000 in its Asia-Pacific region, said Mark
week. The Charoen Pokphand Group,
Murphy, manager of corporate citizenship for Cargill.
Thailand's largest flour and feed miller,
"We've generally been spared any immediate impact," he said. "Our businesses are not
contributed 10 million baht ($256,400)
in the coastal areas for the most part."
worth of food and bottled drinking
Cargill had trouble reaching its Asia-Pacific contacts by phone for two days after the
water for six affected Thai provinces, actragedy. E-mail traffic was working normally by Dec. 28, Mr. Murphy said.
cording to a newspaper report.
U.S. Wheat Associates, based in Washington, received word that the Prima Ceylon
The United States initially pledged $350
Ltd. complex in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, came through the disaster without any major
million in relief assistance and deployed
damage, said Dawn Forsythe, director of public affairs for U.S. Wheat. The complex has
disaster experts in the affected Asia-Pacific
a milling capacity of 3,400 tonnes of wheat per day.
region. The United States, India, Japan and
Ms. Forsythe said the tsunamis also spared the United Malayan Flour Mills and the
Australia established a four-nation group
Seberang flour mills in Malaysia. She had no information on flour mills in India.
to coordinate relief efforts. President Bush
The tsunamis hit Sri Lanka hard. The number of deaths in that country totaled more
expected more countries to join.
than 24,000 by Dec. 30. Some Prima Ceylon workers lost friends or family members, Ms.
The United Nations could launch its
Forsythe said.
largest relief effort ever. The emergency
Most of Prima's workers are from a village called Kinniya, which was affected, said
relief phase together with the recovery
Reggie Rodrigo, U.S. Wheat's consultant in Colombo, Sri Lanka. As a result, Prima Ceyand the reconstruction phase could
lon was facing an acute shortage of labor to do the packaging and loading. MBN
require billions of dollars, said Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United NaAP PHOTO/ELIZABETH DALZIEL

Continued from Page 1
food to 12 districts in Sri Lanka Dec. 28.
W.F.P. country directors committed
an initial $1.5 million for thousands of
tsunami victims in Sri Lanka, Indonesia
and Thailand.
USAID purchased 3,000 tons of rice
in Indonesia that was made available

Disaster's wrath spares Cargill operations,
Prima Ceylon complex in Sri Lanka

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

Milling & Baking News, January 4, 2005 / 25

http://www.wfp.org http://www.unicef.org http://www.redcross.org http://www.savethechildren.org http://www.careusa.org http://www.catholicrelief.org http://www.worldvision.org http://www.jdc.org http://www.mercycorps.org/ http://www.uswheat.org http://www.bakingbusiness.com http://www.world-grain.com

Milling & Baking News - January 4, 2005

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