Bamako, Mali, 6^th September 2021. Following the Malian Government’s request of 18th May 2021 for food support, the ECOWAS Commission officially handed over 7,372 tons of food grains to the Government of Mali this 6th September 2021 in Bamako to help the Government cope with the difficult food situation of the most vulnerable households.

The food grains, which comprise maize, rice, millet, and sorghum, were taken from the stocks of the ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve stored in the warehouses of the Office des produits vivriers du Mali (Opam) in Bamako, Koutiala, Sikasso and Segou.

According to the commitment of the Malian Government and considering the operating rules of the Regional Food Security Reserve, the stock of 7,372 tons of food grains, which was hand-ed over by Mr. Sékou Sangaré, ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources to Mr. Redouwane Ag. Mohamed Ali, Minister and Commissioner for Food Security of Mali, will be replenished “grain for grain” by the Government of Mali to enable the Regional Reserve to maintain its permanent intervention capacity in assisting any Member State re-questing for food support.

While receiving the food grains, the Minister and Commissioner for Food Security expressed Mali’s gratitude to the ECOWAS Commission for the regional solidarity and reassured all stake-holders that this support is timely and that it will help strengthen the intervention capacities of the national food security system and alleviate the food needs of the populations severely af-fected by food insecurity.

This intervention of the Regional Food Security Reserve falls within the operationalization of the “ECOWAS of the Peoples”. It is the third intervention for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations of Mali, after those of 2019 and 2020, which respectively availed 2,856 and 793 tons of food grains to the Government of Mali.

To recall, the latest assessment of the food and nutrition situation of the Harmonized Frame-work (Cadre Harmonisé) for 2020-2021 indicates that starting from June 2021 onwards, more than 1.3 million people will need food assistance with more than 1 million in the central and northern regions of the country.

Established on February 28th, 2013, in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, by the Authority of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, the Regional Food Security Reserve aims to com-plement the efforts of Member States to provide rapid and diversified food and nutrition assis-tance to the populations in need.