The United States announced Thursday a plan to distribute USD 1 billion-worth of surplus American agricultural products to people in need in 18 countries worldwide. In a statement, Administrator of the US Agency of International Development (USAID) Samantha Power and US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said they will begin to use the USD 1 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funding to purchase, ship, and distribute agricultural commodities from American farmers to those in need around the world. USAID has selected 18 countries to support with this vital emergency food aid, including Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Yemen. "During this time of staggering global hunger, America is extending a hand to hungry communities around the world - and American farmers are crucial to that effort," said Administrator Samantha Power. "USAID is honored to collaborat e with USDA to purchase, ship and distribute our surplus food supplies to people in urgent need across the globe." "America's farmers are the most productive and efficient in the world, and we rely on them to supply safe and nutritious food not only to our nation, but to the global community," Secretary Vilsack said. "With many millions of people in dire need worldwide, the US agricultural sector is well positioned to provide lifesaving food assistance. The United States produces more commodities than are consumed, and therefore has the opportunity to partner with USAID and extend this food to those in our global community who are struggling." This action builds on Secretary Vilsack's October 2023 announcement about the planned collaboration. In September 2023, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) made the extraordinary decision to utilize these funds in partnership with USAID to meet emergency needs around the world by purchasing commodities produced by US farmers. The USD 1 billion will primarily be us ed for the purchase, shipment, and distribution of US commodities that align with traditional USAID international food assistance programming. USDA will purchase the US commodities and transfer them to USAID - the lead federal coordinator for international disaster assistance - for distribution. A separate pilot project, of up to USD 50 million, will also be set up to utilize US commodities that have not traditionally been part of food assistance programming but that are shelf stable and suitable for use in feeding food-insecure populations. USAID is working with humanitarian organizations to develop this limited pilot project, and details will be released once they have been developed. With an estimated 205 million people in need of life-saving food assistance globally, these commodities will be used to provide emergency food assistance to people facing dire food insecurity. The Biden Administration is working urgently to address emergency food assistance needs around the world, including in Sudan, Gaza , and Ethiopia. USAID and USDA are committed to working closely to leverage all available resources to mitigate the worst impacts of food insecurity around the world. Source: Kuwait News Agency