Sri Lanka's Food Crisis

 The number of people in Sri Lanka needing urgent humanitarian help has doubled to 3.4 million. 

The United Nations warned of a worsening food crisis amid an unprecedented economic crisis.

UN agencies in Sri Lanka in a joint statement said that they had raised $79m to feed those in need, but the increasing number of poor people meant an additional $70m was needed.

“Food insecurity in Sri Lanka has increased dramatically due to two consecutive seasons of poor harvests, foreign exchange shortages, and reduced household purchasing power,” the statement said.

With food inflation of 85.6 per cent in October 2022, many Sri Lankans are struggling. Twenty-eight per cent of the population—or 6.3 million people—face moderate-to-severe acute food insecurity.

 Among its targets are immediate food assistance for 2.4 million vulnerable and food-insecure people; provision of support and fertilizers for 1.5 million farmers and fishers to revive food systems that have been severely disrupted.

The appeal also seeks to provide nutrition support for 2.1 million people, including pregnant women and schoolchildren; safe drinking water for over 900,000 people; and essential medicines and healthcare, including sexual and reproductive healthcare, for 867,000 people. It will enable protection services to continue for vulnerable women and children at risk of violence.

The UN has said that the poverty rate in the South Asian nation has doubled to 25.6 percent this year, up from 13.1 percent last year.

UN ramps up its urgent humanitarian appeal to bring life-saving assistance to 3.4 million Sri Lankans [EN/SI/TA] - Sri Lanka | ReliefWeb