(Ecofin Agency) - The food situation in Benin is worrying the Japanese government who decided to lend its support to Porto-Novo by allocating FCfa 2 billion in food aid.

According to the Japanese ambassador in Benin, Tokyo is hoping through this gesture to help the country in making up for the food deficit which it is currently experiencing. This gesture, the last in a long series of gifts from Japan to Benin, comes as 972,000 people, equivalent to 12% of households in the country are in a situation of food insecurity.

APA citing the Global Analysis of Vulnerability, Food Security and Nutrition (AGVSAN), continues by indicating that 1,048,000 people who are under the threat of finding themselves in this situation, representing 13% of households in the country. This brings to approximately 25% of the total population, the proportion of Beninese suffering from food insecurity.

To recall, Benin has over 6 million hectares of arable lands, which are under-utilised.