Northwest wheat heading to war-torn Yemen
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Seven ships loaded with wheat grown in the Pacific Northwest are sailing for Yemen, where civil war has pushed over 8 million people to the brink of starvation.
The U.S. Agency for International Development purchased the wheat to benefit America’s wheat farmers and people in crisis.
Two Oregon politicians, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley and Republican state Rep. Mike McLane of Powell Butte, said in a joint statement they’re proud to see Oregon wheat being used in one of America’s most effective peacebuilding tools, its Food for Peace program.
At a Friday news conference in Portland, Stephen Anderson of the U.N.’s World Food Program said the wheat will provide much-needed relief.
Darren Padget, a wheat farmer from Grass Valley, said he’s pleased the wheat is going to the needy.
