The United States estimates that more Ethiopians will need food aid this year than the 2.2 million the Ethiopian government said in an aid appeal, a US humanitarian affairs official said. The Ethiopian government said in December that 2.2 million people were in need of emergency food assistance estimated at 387,482 tonnes and that more than five million others were chronically food insecure.
But Tony Hall, the US ambassador to the World Food Programme (WFP), said on a visit to the Horn of Africa country that Ethiopia's harvest had been disappointing and more people could face food shortages.
"I think the 2.2 million figure ... was probably an under estimate," Hall told a press conference late on Friday night.
"I think many of the figures that came out relative to the people that needed help was an estimate before the harvest came in and the harvest did not show the kind of production they expected," he added without giving any figures.
The UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs warned last month that the number of needy people was expected to increase from the current 2.4 million in March to 3.1 million in April and warned that cereals stocks could run out soon.
Hall said the United States would provide "substantial support" to Ethiopia and urged authorities to review the situation to ensure that the rural poor are not put in danger.
The United States gave Ethiopia food aid worth $500 million in 2004.
After a costly war with neighbouring Eritrea between 1998 and 2000, Ethiopia with no seaport and poor communications, is struggling to feed its 67 million people.