Bangladesh and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have welcomed a new rice donation from South Korea to support the Rohingya humanitarian response, reaffirming Seoul’s ongoing solidarity with Bangladesh in addressing one of the world’s largest refugee crises.
The handover ceremony took place at WFP’s Alongkar Warehouse in Chattogram on Tuesday, attended by Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Md. Mostafizur Rahman, South Korean Ambassador Young Sik Park, and WFP Country Director Dom Scalpelli, according to a press release issued in Dhaka.
The event also honored Korean farmers whose contributions made the donation possible, coinciding with Korea’s Farmers’ Day.
This is the second rice donation from the Republic of Korea, amounting to 20,265 metric tonnes, provided through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA). In 2024, Korea had donated 15,000 metric tonnes of rice to support the Rohingya community.
In addition to rice, MAFRA has also provided fortified rice kernels enriched with essential vitamins and minerals — including vitamin A, B1, B12, zinc, iron, and folic acid. These will be locally blended with regular rice at a 1:100 ratio before being distributed to Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar.
According to WFP, this year’s contribution is sufficient to feed over 1.1 million Rohingya for nearly two months and forms part of Korea’s global donation of 150,000 metric tonnes of rice to WFP operations across 17 countries.
“We remain dedicated to working with the Government of Bangladesh and WFP to respond to the growing needs of the Rohingya community,”
said Ambassador Park during the event.
As the Rohingya crisis enters its ninth year, more than 1.1 million refugees continue to live in camps in Cox’s Bazar, with over 130,000 new arrivals reported since early 2024 following renewed conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
The 2025 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report estimates that around 446,000 Rohingya (40%) are facing severe food insecurity, with nearly 223,000 in emergency-level hunger.
WFP has warned that without additional resources, lifesaving food operations could face severe disruptions as early as April 2026 due to declining humanitarian funding.
