China has donated 1,042 tons of rice to Cabo Verde, in a bid to alleviate food insecurity in the tiny island nation.
According to a local media report, 302 tons of rice will be delivered to nursing homes, 340 tons to hospitals and health centres, and 400 tons to civil society organisations and other social institutions.
A government statement said that the impact of the Ukraine war on global supply chains, together with other inflationary pressures, was “negatively impacting the agri-food system, especially the prices of basic food products”.
[See more: A windfall for the artists of Cabo Verde]
It added that more than a quarter of the population was either on the verge of hunger, experiencing malnutrition or facing an acute food emergency.
Beijing regularly sends donations of rice to Cabo Verde. It has also given millions of dollars in other aid.
According to China-Lusophone Brief, Cabo Verde is still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic on its tourism industry, which was previously responsible for as much as 25% of the archipelago’s gross domestic product.
