6.2 million people in Sri Lanka facing moderate acute food insecurity – FAO

Four in every ten households experienced a reduction in their incomes, as a result of the unprecedented economic crisis Sri Lanka is currently experiencing, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its response overview from June to December 2022 said.

The report also found that 6.2 million out of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people are facing moderate to acute food insecurity.

Meanwhile one in every two households is currently relying on negative coping mechanisms unable to buy food, the report said.

Although 40% of the population depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, the ongoing multidimensional crisis is posing an enormous threat disrupting the national food system, the report said.

Paddy rice production costs have increased by more than 100 per cent in 2022, the organisation cautioned, stressing the need for immediate action to provide farmers with quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.