Construction of new warehouse facilities has started at the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) Logistics Hub in Termez, Uzbekistan, and once completed the facility will allow for an increase and improved flow of humanitarian food to Afghanistan, WFP said on Tuesday.

“We are happy that the United Nations is expanding their warehouse capacity here in Termez,” Uzbekistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan Ismatullah Irgashev said. “At a time when two thirds of the population of Afghanistan rely on humanitarian assistance to survive, it is our duty as the international community to stand by their side.”

WFP’s existing Logistics Hub in Termez has served as a trans-shipment point for WFP’s Afghanistan operations since 2021. WFP plans to add an additional 8,000 square meters to the current 14,500 square meter warehouse capacity in the upcoming months. This will increase WFP’s total storage capacity in Termez by more than half, the agency said in a statement.

“With the support of the Government of Uzbekistan, more than 1,000 metric tons of food are crossing the border from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan each day,” said Hsiao-Wei Lee, Country Director for WFP Afghanistan.

“In the upcoming months, this increase to our warehouse capacity will greatly facilitate our ability to serve the 20 million Afghans currently in need of food assistance. While our partners and donors have been incredibly generous with their contributions, we still need an additional $1.5 billion to reach all the people we have planned to serve.”

In Afghanistan in 2022, WFP reached 23 million people, distributed 1.1 million metric ton of food and $325 million in cash transfers. Of the 23 million people assisted, 11.6 million were women and 12.3 million were children. WFP said it injects an average of $55 million per month into the local economy.