Farmer Richard Smith is coming to the aid of villagers in war-ravaged Croatia - with a tonne of grain.

Mr Smith acted after hearing how villagers returning to their homes in the former Yugoslavia found nothing but rack and ruin, and were forced to rely on food hand-outs from aid agencies to survive.

He said: "The farmers over there went home after the war to find nothing left for them. Their crops had been either wrecked or eaten. I thought, if I could get them some grain it would give them a kick-start, and then next year they won't need so much help."

Mr Smith, a farmer who teaches agricultural engineering at Askham Bryan College, said: "I basically went round friends and contacts begging 50kg of grain a time. Any old grain would do."

When he had collected a tonne of different types of grain, from Young Farmers' Clubs among others, Mr Smith went to a friendly farmer in Newton-upon-Derwent and exchanged the lot for one particular variety of seed, a malting barley that grows well in spring.

He said: "We have got to get it over there and planted very quickly, then it will be ready for harvest in late September. They should get about 20 tonnes out of it, and they can eat 18 tonnes and replant the other two to double the crop for next year."

Mr Smith said the barley could be used to make bread, beer and cereal.

He has arranged for the grain to be driven to the village of Ljubinje, near Mostar, where the area has now been cleared of landmines.

But he said he now wanted to offer his services as an agricultural engineer, but needed to raise £600 to get him there. Anyone who could offer sponsorship should phone Mr Smith on 01904 772238 or 01757 248589.

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