ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia and the United Nations said on Monday 2.8 millions Ethiopians will need emergency food aid in 2011, and appealed for $227 million to fund programmes for the first six months.

The Horn of Africa nation is still one of the world's poorest countries, with nearly 10 percent of the population of 77 million people relying on emergency food aid last year.

The U.N. cited poor performance of rains in the Somali and Oromiya regions late last year for the increasing food problem.

In addition, donor representatives said access was still restricted in nine out of the 52 localities in the Somali region, where a low-level insurgency still prevails. About 40 percent of the beneficiaries are in the Somali region.

"Presently, we all remain concerned about the situation in the eastern and southeastern lowlands of Somali and Oromiya regions, where renewed drought conditions are having a significant humanitarian impact," said Eugene Owusu, the resident United Nations coordinator.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said his country may not need any food aid within five years thanks to an ambitious development plan that targets an average economic growth of 14.9 percent over the period.

Addis Ababa has posted high economic growth figures over the past five years, averaging about 11 percent, according to government figures.

Ethiopia is one of the world's largest recipients of foreign aid, receiving more than $3 billion in 2008, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Ethiopia is a key Western ally in the Horn of Africa, where it is seen as a bulwark against militant Islamism. Addis Ababa also wants to attract foreign investment in large-scale farming and oil and gas exploration.

Reuters