The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Saturday warned that it may soon have to halt distribution of food aid in North Korea unless it receives further pledges of assistance from donor countries. "As things stand, we'll be scraping the bottom of the barrel within two months," said WFP's Asian regional director Tony Banbury in Beijing on his return from a visit to the diplomatically isolated communist country. "Many in the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) who desperately need our food will suffer even more if we don't get additional contributions fast," Banbury warned. If donor countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea or European Union nations do not provide further funds, "we will face very serious cuts", Banbury said. The WFP official said that the organization is currently preparing to supply enriched vegetable oil, an essential promoter of physical and mental growth, to 900,000 elderly people. If funding shortfalls continue however, the planned supply of enriched vegetable oil to 600,000 children as well as pregnant and nursing women next week could be suspended. --More 2254 Local Time 1954 GMT
