7.5 Million People Face Food Insecurity in SL, Reveals UN Study

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Startling revelations have emerged, indicating that approximately 7.5 million people in Sri Lanka are currently grappling with a severe food crisis.

According to Senior Professor PPA Wasantha Athukorala from the Department of Economics & Statistics at the University of Peradeniya, this information was brought to light through a study conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The study has disclosed that among the 5.7 million families residing in Sri Lanka, a staggering 33% are facing food insecurity. Consequently, this translates to approximately 7.5 million individuals across the country being directly impacted by this crisis.

Professor Athukorala further noted that Sri Lanka's current ranking on the food security index stands at 79th place. This underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to address and alleviate the prevailing food crisis in the country.

However, the Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) report revealed that food security in Sri Lanka is improving across all provinces. 

A special report by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Programme's crop and food security assessment mission to Sri Lanka states an estimated 17% of the population is in moderate acute food insecurity in Sri Lanka,  especially in the Northern, Eastern and Central Provinces. 

The report estimates 3.9 million people or 17 percent of the population is in moderate acute food insecurity which is nearly a 40 percent decrease from June/July last year.