Chinese Government donates 702 tons of rice and 351 tons of grain to Lesotho in 2023

On November 15, 2023, the Chinese Government donated 702 metric tons of rice and 351 metric tons of grain to the Government of Lesotho in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP).

The handover ceremony took place in Morija, where more than 200 vulnerable households received the emergency food assistance and grain. This donation marks the fifth batch of food aid provided by China to Lesotho since 2019. The donation was made in response to a worsening food insecurity crisis in Lesotho.

According to the Disaster Management Authority (DMA), an estimated 581,000 Basotho lacked sufficient food in 2023—an increase from 521,000 in 2022—due to widespread poverty, adverse weather events, rising food prices, and economic shocks linked to COVID-19 and the Ukraine conflict. Heavy rains had also disrupted agriculture and affected livelihoods in the months prior to the handover.

The WFP contributed locally purchased maize and beans, which were milled and packaged for vulnerable recipients, while the Chinese donation focused on bulk grain supplies. The program was coordinated by the DMA with the support of the Citizen Feedback Mechanism (CFM).