Food aid is arriving for more than 100,000 people in the Highlands region of Papua New Guinea who have been enduring hunger for nearly a year due to El Nino-driven drought and frost.

Key points: PNG's Highlands have experienced the worst frost in 40 years and a prolonged drought

PNG's Highlands have experienced the worst frost in 40 years and a prolonged drought Staple crops have been wiped out and more than 100,000 people enduring hunger

Staple crops have been wiped out and more than 100,000 people enduring hunger Rice supplies have finally arrived in the worst-affected provinces

Care International, the World Food Program and provincial authorities are distributing much-needed rice to provinces whose crops were badly hit last August by the worst frost in 40 years and the prolonged drought that followed.

"They have not had any substantial crops — their root crops that they eat every day — since August of last year," Care's Blossum Gilmour told Pacific Beat.

"They have been surviving on pumpkin and cabbage and green vegetables, [but] it's staple crop of the sweet potato, which they haven't had for a very long time, that makes up the majority of people's diet.

"People say they've been hungry now for 11 months."

PNG has been experiencing its most severe El Nino-induced drought since 1997-1998.

In March, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill rejected reports of widespread deaths due to the drought.

He said PNG would manage the drought response through its new disaster office and would not request help from the Australian Government with the delivery of food.

Each household is receiving three month's supply of rice, with hopes crops will be replenished by September. ( Care Australia: Blossum Gilmour )

While Care International's food distribution has begun for about 125,000 people in two of the high-altitude provinces most affected by the frost and drought — Enga and Hela — the process is not a simple one, Ms Gilmour said.

"We're talking about people living in very remote locations so we have to go and find them and get them registered," she said.

"[It's] a very complicated process, involving village leaders and church leaders and youth leaders, and trying to get everyone to agree upon who are the people in this village and how many households are there."

Households each receive an initial supply of 70 kilograms of rice — enough to last six weeks — and a further 80 kilograms six weeks later.

Ms Gilmour said she hoped local crops would be replenished soon.

"Part of the reason that people are still hungry is because they're waiting for those crops to come back," she said.

"In the high altitude locations, it takes six to nine months for those potato crops and those sweet potato crops to mature.

"People are already harvesting some sweet potato, but it is the beginning and they're very small and there has been a lot of crop failure as a result of the drought.

"We are expecting by September people should be returning to normal unless there is another extreme circumstance.

"If there is another big frost, for example, then we will have to re-evaluate."