Sri Lanka in crisis: Nearly 6 million experience food insecurity as inflation rises

As the economic crisis in Sri Lanka continues, the country is dealing with shortage of basic necessities like medicine and fuel. As per the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) most recent assessment on food insecurity, three out of every ten households, or nearly 6.26 million people are unsure about where their next meal will come from. Approximately 61 per cent of Sri Lankan households are routinely adopting cost-saving mechanisms, such as cutting back on their food intake or eating nutrient-dense meals, as a result of record food price inflation, surging fuel prices and widespread commodity shortages, reported by ANI.

The WFP expects as the crisis worsens; more people will use similar coping mechanisms. A woman told the food agency, "These days, we don`t have a proper meal but eat only rice and gravy.” Anthea Webb, deputy regional director for Asia and Pacific at the WFP last month said, “Pregnant mothers need to eat nutritious meals every day, but the poorest find it harder and harder to afford the basics.” She cautioned pregnant women against skipping the meals as “carries throughout your life,” risks both their own health and wellbeing of their children.

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Amid a massive 57.4 per cent inflation rate and drastically rising food prices, two out of every five homes lack proper diet due to population’s crippled ability to prepare enough and nutrient rich meals for themselves. The situation is severe, in the farming estates sectors, which includes huge tea plantations, more than 50 per cent of the households’ experience food insecurity, as per WFP.

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The WFP last month announced a $60 million emergency appeal for food and nutrition to help three million people with the deteriorating situation.

The country faces its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948, the situation got worse after the pandemic. The government schools and offices have been forced to close indefinitely due to a current supply deficit. In addition, to this the World Bank estimates that 500,000 people have below the poverty line as a result of the pandemic, the crisis will push some families into hunger and poverty for the first time.

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(With inputs from agencies)