Colombo, Sep 7 (FN Agency) While claiming that millions of the poorest Sri Lankans can no longer afford an adequate diet, a top official of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has expressed fear that the “situation may get worse in the weeks to come”, media reports said on Wednesday. “This makes WFP’s response extremely critical. Our priority is to reach families with life-saving food and nutrition assistance, with children and women at the heart of our response,” WFP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific John Aylieff said at the end of a two-day visit to Sri Lanka. “The latest WFP surveys show that hunger is rising sharply in Sri Lanka, where nearly half of the households interviewed were facing challenges in accessing food, amid income losses, record levels of food price inflation, disruptions to the food supply chain and severe shortages of basic commodities including fuel,” he said.
During his discussion with a group of recipients of WFP’s assistance, Aylieff heard first-hand accounts of how the deepening food crisis was impacting them. Four out of five households were limiting portion sizes and skipping meals to cope, the Sri Lanka media report. Many thus suffering included urban households. Aylieff, who met Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, discussed the immediate priorities in addressing food insecurity in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka continues to battle its worst economic crisis that has led to a serious shortage of food, fuel and medicines.