Expert says 7.5 Mn starving Govt. says no

• President’s Media Division says food insecurity still persists in specific regions, according to a new study
• Only about 3.9 million people are moderately acute food insecure, indicating an improvement compared to 2022

By Sheain Fernandopulle  

The Government yesterday (13) rejected claims by an expert that at least 7.5 million Sri Lankans are in acute food insecurity. 

 
Recent media reports quoting economist Prof. Wasantha Athukorala of the Peradeniya University stated that at least 33 percent of households were food insecure by December 2022 despite recent indicators of economic recovery.  

According to Prof. Athukorala’s interpretation based on the World Food Programme (WFP) Household Food Security Survey Report- December 2022, at least 7.5 million were food insecure (33 percent of households).  

However, the Government rejected the widely quoted media reports stating that more recent studies indicated a different picture. 

 
In a press release issued by the President’s Media Division, Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena, Director General of the Partnership Secretariat for WFP Cooperation (PSWFPC), rejected the claims made by various national newspapers that 7.5 million Sri Lankans are facing a lack of sufficient meals, contradictory to the findings of the Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) which indicates an improvement in food security throughout all provinces of Sri Lanka

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According to the latest report by FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission, which Dr Jayawardena quoted, 3.9 million people or 17 percent of the population is in moderate acute food insecurity which is nearly a 40 percent decrease from June/July last year. 

 
“An estimated 17 percent of the population is in moderate acute food insecurity in Sri Lanka, especially in the Northern, Eastern and Central Provinces, indicating an improvement compared to 2022,” the report states.  

According to the report, nearly 10,000 people are severely acute food-insecure, down from 66,000 people last year.  

Further, the report highlights that the highest level of acute food insecurity was in the Estate sector (tea production) and among households deriving their main incomes from social protection schemes such as Samurdhi and disability benefits, linked to unaffordability of food and healthy diets.  

The latest finding are based on the Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) report jointly carried out in February/March 2023 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).