The donation will be handed over to the Guatemalan government by the Republic of China Embassy there for humanitarian purposes, said Lin Cheng-hui, deputy director-general of the MOFA Bureau of Central and South American Affairs.

Guatemala has had a prolonged dry spell this year, which has extended to November due to the El Nino effect.

The drought has affected the harvest of staples like maize, red beans and rice in that country, resulting in food shortages and an increase in food prices, Lin said. The price of food has risen above what most poor people in Guatemala can't afford, he noted.

He added that 15 of 22 provinces of Guatemala are currently experiencing a food crisis and that 60 percent of the country's 13 million people are living in poverty.

"Death is threatening Guatemalan women and children who have been undernourished for a long time," he said.

Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom declared a "state of public calamity" Sept. 8 to help mobilize funds and resources to deal with the food shortage that has affected thousands of families.

Colom said the food problem was caused by drought, global warming and the effects of the international economic crisis.

(By Elizabeth Hsu)