Sri Lanka: UN says around 4.9 million people in need of food assistance amid crisis

The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Hanna Singer-Hamdy, said that around 4.9 million people in Sri Lanka are currently in need of food assistance. She said that several factors have been putting pressure on the current food situation in the island nation, ANI cited a Daily Mirror report as saying. According to Singer-Hamdy, the low-income households have been affected the "hardest" and they have started "adopting negative coping strategies."

Hanna Singer-Hamdy said that a 40 to 50% decrease has been witnessed in paddy crop harvest due to a shortage in the availability of chemical fertilizer. According to the official, the expenditure on fertilizer imports has been reduced by nearly 60% ever since the imposition of the ban on the import of chemical fertilizers in April.

Hanna Singer-Hamdy said if they do not take any action now, many families in Sri Lanka will not be able to meet their basic food needs.

“Multiple factors are impacting Sri Lanka's food security situation; if we don't act now, many families will be unable to meet their basic food needs,” UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Hanaa Singer-Hamdy said in the press release. 

Notably, Sri Lanka has been facing the worst economic crisis since independence coupled with shortages of key food items and fuel. Furthermore, the people in Sri Lanka have been facing daily power outages. The economic crisis in the island nation has affected food security, agriculture, livelihoods and health services. Earlier on June 8, Sri Lankan Prime Minister urged people in his country to use fuel and gas "carefully" and called the next three weeks "tough" for the nation, ANI cited a Xinhua report as saying. He further called on his citizens to avoid unessential travel. 

UN raises concern over shortage of critical medicines in Sri Lanka 

Expressing concern over the medical services in Sri Lanka, the United Nations said that nearly 200 essential medicines are out of stock and a shortage of 163 critical medicines is expected in the next two to three months. In addition, more than 2,700 essential surgical and over 250 regular laboratory items remain out of stock. Many hospitals in Sri Lanka have been forced to delay routine and non-urgent surgeries due to power outages and a lack of fuel to operate generators. The United Nations team in Sri Lanka and non-governmental organisations have initiated a joint Humanitarian Needs and Priorities (HNP) plan on June 9. The UN and other NGOs called for more than $47.2 million (₹3,671,907,947) to provide life-saving assistance to 1.7 million people in Sri Lanka. 

(With inputs from ANI)