Myanmar
WFP began providing emergency food aid in 1994 to Rohingya returnees in the northern Rakhine state, one of Myanmar's most remote and underdeveloped regions. In 2003, WFP assistance was extended to ex-poppy farmers in the Shan State to cover their immediate food gap following an 'opium ban'. The project has since expanded to include activities enabling the ex-poppy communities' transition to alternative livelihoods. Currently under its three-year Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO), WFP is targeting 1.6 million people in the northern Rakhine State, Shan State and Magway Division. Activities include food for education (FFE), food for training (FFT) and food for work (FFW). Since early May 2008, WFP has been providing life-saving emergency assistance to victims of the deadly Cyclone Nargis.
All WFP activities in Myanmar are carried out through rigorous targeting mechanisms that ensure food reaches the right people; both through partnerships with other agencies that provide extra resources for the same set of beneficiaries and through corporate systems of checks and regulations that ensure full accountability, monitoring and reporting.
After Cyclone Nargis, the government changed the policy of food procurement countrywide in July 2008. The government ceased the usual local purchase of rice and salt, and allowed only the local purchase of pulses. Vegetable oil and blended food still remained imported commodities. This policy has put WFP's pipeline into a more fragile condition as the lead-time of rice and salt from regional neighboring countries takes much longer than local purchase. In addition, the higher food prices have also affected the pipeline.
WFP Logistics is also providing 2 helicopters for the movement of Inter-Agency personnel from Yangon to Cyclone Nargis-affect areas in the Delta. Throughout the country, WFP Logistics is managing approximately warehouses with 40,000-MT capacity.
There are a number of constraints to the swift delivery of assistance to beneficiaries in Myanmar including the road access with most areas not being accessible during the rainy season. Politically sensitive areas with restricted food movement is another issue that could delay the provision of food assistance. The government's uncertain policy may also affect food procurement and delivery. For Logistics, limited availability of transport and proper storage facilities in project areas are a constraint to operations.
