Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has deepened the risk of food insecurity, a report released by the World Food Programme (WFP) revealed.
Accordingly, while 36% of households are food insecure, 76% have resorted to food-based coping strategies, WFP stated.
This indicates the failure of the government’s efforts to minimize the impact of food shortage and high cost of living on the poor and the middle class people by implanting relief schemes.
The government has allocated Rs 46,600 million for crisis-related initiatives, including providing Rs 10,000 per food-insecure family and an additional monthly allowance of Rs 2,500 for pregnant mothers for four months respectively.
Additionally, the government recently initiated a National Food Security Programme. It has also proposed establishing youth agriculture companies, writing off paddy farmers’ outstanding loans, etc.
A further Rs 400 million was allocated for the Department of Agriculture to provide farmers with seeds/planting material urgently and Rs 40 billion for fertilizer for paddy cultivation for the 2022/2023 ‘Maha’ season
Despite having remained at relatively stabilized levels over the past three months, food security levels still remain concerningly high, the report indicated.
It has been observed that nearly eight in ten households regularly turn to food-based coping strategies and over five in ten households pawning items or formally borrowing money in order to eat.
Food prices also remain a primary concern for nine out ten households.“With limited purchasing power, over 50% of households are purchasing food on credit. Consumption of adequate diets remains low.
Thirty five percent of households are facing insufficient food consumption, with many consuming far less diverse and nutritious diets”, the report read, emphasizing that the crisis continues to disproportionately impact different segments of society.
Female-headed households (44%) are faring worse than male-headed households, while those in the estate areas (43%) consistently experience higher levels of acute food insecurity than those in urban and rural areas.
Food insecurity saw an increase of 4% in October, compared to the figures seen in September, with almost half of the households (48%) in the Southern province being deemed food insecure, followed closely by Sabaragamuwa province (45%).
Those in the East and the North recorded the lowest food insecurity scores in October, with the former having recorded a score of 26%, and the latter coming in just a percentage lower at 25%.
Six out of nine provinces saw a rise in food insecurity between September and October, namely Uva, Southern, North Central, Central, North Western and Eastern provinces.
There was a reduction in food insecurity in the Northern province of 8 percentage points from September.
