Colombo: Sri Lanka is going through its worst post-independence phase. They have a debt of 51 billion dollars, which they are unable to pay. This is the reason why it has become economically derelict. Inflation has increased so much in the country that people’s food has become a disaster. The World Food Program (WFP) has said that more than 60 lakh people are facing food crisis in the country and has demanded 500 crore rupees (Indian rupees) to satisfy the hunger of 30 lakh people.
Worst food crisis since independence: Abdur Rahim Siddiqui
UN WFP Sri Lanka Country Director Abdur Rahim Siddiqui said preliminary findings indicate that about 6.3 million people are food insecure. The country’s economy is currently facing the worst food crisis since independence and inflation is expected to rise to staggering levels in the next few months. Siddiqui said, “Sri Lanka has been facing a serious food crisis since its independence. The rate of food inflation is above 80 percent till June and this inflation is likely to increase in the coming months. Abdur Rahim Siddiqui said ‘We all know that the Russo-Ukraine war has prolonged the food crisis for the world,’ Siddiqui urged the international community to draw attention to the current food crisis in Sri Lanka.
People stopped eating for a time
According to a study, about one-fourth of the population, i.e. about 53 lakh people, are either reducing their meals or skipping meals at one time or they are preferring to eat their younger family members. Highlighting the need of the hour amid the food crisis in Sri Lanka, he said that WFP needs more than Rs 500 crore by the end of 2022, however, it will satisfy only 30 percent of the people’s hunger.
Children – Dangerous for pregnant women
In the wake of record food price inflation, skyrocketing fuel costs and widespread commodity shortages, nearly 61 percent of households are regularly using coping strategies to cut costs, such as reducing the amount of food they eat and consuming increasingly less nutritious foods. . The United Nations Food Relief Agency predicts that as the crisis deepens, more people will turn to such coping strategies. “These days, we don’t have proper food, but only eat rice and gravy,” one woman told WFP. WFP is warning that malnutrition has serious consequences for pregnant women, putting themselves and their babies’ health at risk.