The importation of non-essential food items including grapes and apples must be limited, said Prof. Meththika Vithanage of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura.
Certain unnecessary expenditure involving functions must be slashed and the people should be oriented to tackle the upcoming ‘food scarcity,’ she noted, speaking to media today.
The government should be disclosing the truth about food scarcity, Prof. Vithanage went on, adding that the truth has not been acknowledged by the government despite warnings by a number of parties, recalling the dismissal of Udith K. Jayasinghe, who served as the Agriculture Secretary.
No sooner than a day since Jayasinghe’s warning of a potential food scarcity, he was sacked from the post of Secretary to the Agriculture Ministry.
Commenting on the event, Prof. Vithanage noted that Jayasinghe being aware of the occurrence of a food scarcity had made many wrong decisions, despite the warning.
People living in certain areas are compelled to have only one or two meals a day, she went on, urging that the government should have a definite plan to save the people from this situation.
The government leaders, on the other hand, have not paid their attention to the matter yet, she added.
MIAP
