ROME, May 2: The World Food Programme said on Friday it was not yet sure if a proposed $770 million in extra US food aid would help it feed the poor and close a budget gap caused by soaring food prices.

The UN food agency, seeking to cover a $755 million budget shortfall, said Washington must still decide how to divide up the funds to organisations around the world.

“We will have to wait to see how this money is going to be allocated to the different agencies responsible for responding to the impact of global food prices,” said WFP spokesman Gregory Barrow.

“But clearly this is a major step for all of us who are engaged in addressing this problem.”

Still, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said the proposed US aid along with expected increases from other donors should “enable the countries affected to overcome the constraints resulting from high market prices”.

The US Congress still needs to approve the funds that President George W. Bush called for on Thursday — they would become available on Oct 1.

The Rome-based WFP, which aims to feed 73 million people in 80 countries this year, says the cost of feeding the world’s hungry has jumped nearly 55 per cent since it set its 2008 budget in the middle of last year.

With the global food crisis threatening to spread social unrest, the WFP appealed to donors in late March to help it offset a $500 million hike in aid costs to maintain its already scheduled programmes for this year. It later raised that figure to $755 million.

Thanks to pledges from countries, including Canada, Australia and Britain, the WFP said it was closing the gap.

“We were around about 70 per cent on our way towards that 755 (million dollars) figure before the Bush announcement,” Barrow said.

He said Canada had nearly increased its pledge by $45 million, or nearly the 30 per cent target the WFP had asked of top donors. Australia increased its pledge by $27.5 million while Britain increased its pledge by $60 million.

Germany doubled its basic annual contribution to the WFP of $35.57 million over the past several weeks, Germany’s development ministry said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in April his country was doubling its food aid budget in 2008 to almost $100 million.

Normally the WFP would receive 70 per cent of France’s food aid budget, but negotiations are still under way to establish whether this proportion will apply to the recently announced increase.

—Reuters