ADDIS ABABA, March 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Ethiopia and Japan on Friday signed a grant agreement amounting to 3.79 million US dollars.

    Under the agreement, the grant will be used to procure productsmutually agreed upon by the two parties and to transport the products.

    Speaking on the signing ceremony, State Minister of Finance andEconomic Development Mekonnen Manyazewal said Japan has been supporting the food security programs designed by the Ethiopian government and the grant would have great importance to ensure food security in the country.

    Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia Kenjiro Izumi on his part explained that the grant would be used to purchase fertilizer under the Japanese Increase of Food Production Grant Aid scheme.

    Izumi also expressed his conviction that the grant would be used to make substantial contribution toward improving the lives of the Ethiopian people and to reinforce and promote the good relations between Ethiopia and Japan.

    Japan has been providing such a grant every year to foster Ethiopia's agricultural productivity through the Increase of Food Production Grant Aid scheme.

    The total amount of the grant has now reached approximately 122million dollars. Enditem