Food insecurity in Sri Lanka

7 September 2022 09:46 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 3 Bookmark

CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA Follow

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While claiming that millions of the poorest Sri Lankans can no longer afford an adequate diet, a top official of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) expressed fear that the “situation may get worse in the weeks to come.”

“This makes WFP’s response extremely critical. Our priority is to reach families with life-saving food and nutrition assistance, with children and women at the heart of our response,” WFP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific John Aylieff said, concluding a two-day visit to Sri Lanka.

“The latest WFP surveys show that hunger is rising sharply in Sri Lanka, where nearly half of the households interviewed were facing challenges in accessing food, amid income losses, record levels of food price inflation, disruptions to the food supply chain and severe shortages of basic commodities including fuel,” the WFP said in a statement at the conclusion of the official’s visit.

During his discussion with a group of recipients of WFP’s assistance, Aylieff heard first-hand accounts of how the deepening food crisis is impacting them. Four out of five households are limiting portion sizes and skipping meals to cope, a significant number of urban households are among them.

Aylieff who met Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry, discussed the immediate priorities in addressing food insecurity in Sri Lanka. (Sunil Jayasiri)

Comments - 3

TD Nanayakkara Thursday, 08 September 2022 10:24 AM

While this may be greatly true for low and mid -income urban dwellers who depend on markets to supply food, it may be different for the rural communities. Most of our village households can take food items from their home gardens as done usually, to supplement what they may not be able to buy from the markets due to high prices against stagnant income. Perhaps the Government, NGOs, UN could come up with projects to revive and popularise alternative home grown food for households. With tropical weather throughout the year and a wide biodiversity, we have plenty of options and recipies...almost any fruit that grows in the country can be turned into a curry in its raw form, many yams, jackfruit, breadfruit could be used as staples to tie over the hard times. It would help wean people away from quick fix processed foods and the dependance and stranglehold of unscrupulous market operators. It's a good opportunity to revive our food sovereignty as a tropical nation.

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Concerned Citizen Thursday, 08 September 2022 11:23 AM

What is your solution to the affected segments, assuming the rural children have nothing to worry, as you try to portray.

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TD Nanayakkara Thursday, 08 September 2022 10:33 AM

In the early 2000's I recall WFP produced small recipe booklets on indegenous recipes which were distributed through the Nutrition project via MoH to pregnant and nursing mothers. Chef Publis Silva of Mount Lavinia Hotel is also a very good resource person with a good knowledge of the myriad aray of indegenous food. When he visited Nepal to demonstrate Sri Lankan food at a food festival, the display and range of different food options showed the gathered Ambassadors the extent of our food sovereignty. We should be able to revive such food practices that would help with immediate food availability and avoidance of long term malnutrition.

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