The U.N. World Food Program has begun distributing several thousand tons of food to Afghans hit by high prices of wheat flour, an official said Monday. The organization started delivering 30,000 metric tons (33,000 short tons) of wheat, pulses, vegetable oil and salt around Afghanistan about five weeks ago, and plans to distribute 58,000 more metric tons (64,000 short tons) by midsummer. «We're trying to target the most vulnerable, the most needy segment of the population,» Rick Corsino, the head of WFP in Afghanistan, told a news conference Monday. That includes households headed by women and disabled people, and large families supported by only one income, he said. WFP has reached about 400,000 people so far, the Associated Press reported. WFP said it needed US$78 million (¤49 million) in contributions to help feed more than 2.5 million vulnerable Afghans. The price of wheat flour went up an average of 60 percent across Afghanistan last year.
