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‘61% households reduce…’: UN says 60 lakh Lankans unsure of their next meal
Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, the country director of WFP in Sri Lanka said that more than 63 lakh people are food insecure as the country is facing its worst food crisis since independence and the inflation is expected to rise in the next couple of months.
More than 60 lakh people in Sri Lanka are food insecure, the United Nations' World Food Programme said on Saturday, ANI reported. The UN agency said it has been able to secure only 30 per cent of the $63 million funds it has targeted to provide 30 lakh people in the island nation to receive emergency food, nutrition, and school meals till December.
Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, the country director of WFP in Sri Lanka said that more than 63 lakh people are food insecure as the country is facing its worst food crisis since independence and the inflation is expected to rise in the next couple of months.
"Sri Lanka is facing its severe food crisis since its independence. The food inflation rate is more than 80 per cent as of June and the trend is likely to be on the rise in the coming months," Siddiqui said.
“According to a study, about one-fourth of the population, that is around 5.3 million people, are adopting what we called food-based copying mechanism that means either they are reducing their the size of their meals or skipping meals or they are giving preferences to younger members of their families, "Siddiqui told ANI.
The WFP official highlighted that the agency needs $63 million now until the end of 2022 however, it has managed to secure only 30 per cent of the funding.
"It is quite important that WFP needs adequate funding from the development partners so that we will able to implement our plan that we are looking forward to," he said.
The WFP official blamed the Russia-Ukraine war behind the food emergency and urged the international community to draw its attention to the current food crisis in Sri Lanka.
As per an assessment by WFP, some 62 lakh Sri Lankans are unsure of where the next meal is coming from. Some 61 per cent of the households are using coping strategies to cut down on costs like reducing amount they eat and consuming less nutritious meals.
The UN food relief agency anticipates that even more people will turn to these coping strategies as the crisis deepens. "These days, we don't have a proper meal but eat only rice and gravy," one woman told WFP.
WFP is warning that a lack of nutrition has grave consequences for pregnant women, putting both their own and their children's health at risk, UN News reported.
