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of all the commodities will be shipped on U.S. flag vessels in accordance with 

 cargo preference requirements. 



Our second major aid effort is a $250 million program for the Russian 

 Federation to meet humanitarian needs. Russia's Humanitarian Comnission is 

 coordinating the effort with the help of several U.S. private voluntary 

 organizations. As part of that effort, on March 12 Secretary Espy announced 

 the United States will donate 520,000 metric tons of wheat and 87,000 metric 

 tons of rice to the Russian Federation under the Food for Progress Program. 

 The $102 million donation will be distributed or sold by the Russian 

 government to help develop agricultural and economic reforms within the 

 Russian Federation. 



Under the Food for Progress Program, USDA provides commodities in support 

 of countries that have made commitments towards economic reform, and Russia 

 agreed to carry out a number of measures to expand the role of the private 

 sector and improve food supplies. 



Third, we are providing about 100,000 tons of food valued at about $58 

 million through nearly 20 U.S. private voluntary organizations to meet 

 critical human needs throughout the republics. This is partly within and 

 partly outside the $250 million government-to-government commitment. 



