YANGON - The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Thursday donated a new grant aid of $10.6 millionto the World Food Program (WFP) to fight hunger in Myanmar, a press release of the WFP said here Thursday.

The agreement on the food grant was signed between Masahiko Tanaka, the Chief Representative of JICA's Myanmar office and Carlos Veloso, the WFP country Director and Representative at WFP' s office.

The JICA's new donation has brought its contribution to WFP's current work in Myanmar to 22.4 million dollars.

The Japanese donation will be used to provide vital food and nutrition assistance through a food-for-work program for nearly 350,000 people scattered in Kachin, Kayin, Rakhine and Shan states and Magway region in the country.

"The government and people of Japan is committed to helping Myanmar through WFP," said Masahiko Tanaka, "We expect this assistance will also contribute to the government's enthusiastic national reconciliation efforts."

So far this year, Japan has contributed nearly 140 million U.S. dollars to WFP, making it the agency's third largest donor.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries, the release said.

WFP opened a resident office in Myanmar in 1994.