Guatemala allocates logistics costs for drought relief food aid

The Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (Conred) provided Q500 million to the Programa Mundial de Alimentos (PMA) to purchase food rations for farmers in Guatemala who lost crops due to a drought.

The distribution of these food supplies is scheduled to begin on 11 November. Of the total funds provided, Conred officials stated that Q190 million, or 38 percent, will cover logistics such as transport, storage, loading, unloading, and risk insurance.

The remaining Q310 million is earmarked specifically for the purchase of food items. The food aid aims to reach 689,822 farming families across 22 departments in the country. Each ration costs Q745 and contains 100 pounds of corn, 30 pounds of beans, and 10 pounds of rice. While Conred plans to distribute these rations every six months, the current Q500 million only covers the first delivery, requiring the agency to secure more funding for future shipments.

Deputy Jairo Flores raised concerns regarding the accuracy of the beneficiary lists, suggesting that the lack of an official census of farmers could lead to political favoritism. Some municipalities reported requesting more rations than their population figures allow. Eduardo Aguilar from Conred responded that the validation process requires signatures from multiple agencies, including the Ministry of Development Social (Mides) and the National Registry of Persons (Renap), to ensure the aid reaches the correct people.