WFP's director for Afghanistan, Rick Corsino said Afghans needed urgent food aid to help them overcome increases in wheat prices that have exceeded 70 percent over the past 12 months."

WFP said in a statement that the aid will reach about 2.5 million people in the next three months.

The country is one of the poorest in the world, with most Afghans living on less than a dollar a day.

The agency said global food prices have risen by 40 percent since June 2007, making basic food staples beyond the reach of poor people in many countries.