News

WFP aims to reach 3.4 Mn Lankans with food and nutrition assistance

Published

4 years ago

2022/08/8

The World Food Programme (WFP) is seeking donor support to reach 3.4 million people in Sri Lanka with food and nutrition assistance as nearly a quarter of Sri Lanka is facing food shortages for millions.Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since independence is spinning off a “serious food crisis,” says the World Food Programme Representative and Country Director Abdur Rahim Siddiqui. He describes a toxic mix of spiking prices, shrinking crop yields, the fallout of the war in Ukraine and a lack of state funds to pay for key supplies.

“The economy has collapsed and the country has run out of the money needed to import essentials like fuel, food and fertilizer,” he adds, urging more donor support to WFP and other humanitarian responders.

A recent assessment by WFP and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows that 6.3 million people – nearly 30 percent of the population – are food-insecure. It comes as WFP warns of an unprecedented global food crisis.Sri Lanka is grappling with a record 90 percent food inflation, making even staples such as rice unaffordable for millions of families. (Indeed, the average monthly cost of a nutritious diet has soared 156 percent since 2018).

“What we are seeing on the ground is alarming,” says Siddiqui, who has witnessed first-hand how dramatically the island nation’s fortunes have fallen in just over a year. “We know that millions of Sri Lankans are struggling to have sufficient and nutritious food.”

Without urgent intervention, he adds, things look depressingly bleak for a country which should be able to grow enough to feed its population of 22 million.

“People are cutting back on the number of meals they eat – in effect one in four people is skipping a meal,” says Siddiqui. “People are either chipping away at their precious savings or racking up debt to survive.”

Multiple factors are shaping Sri Lanka’s food crisis. In its bid to make farming more environmentally sustainable, the Government last year banned imported chemical fertilizers. But the move sharply reduced agricultural output – and while import rules have since been eased, the effects remain.

“This country used to produce around 300,000 tons of maize,” Siddiqui says. “Now production is negligible because the varieties of seeds that (farmers) are using are the high-yielding kind, which are not compatible with organic fertilizer.”

After two consecutive harvest failures, a third would be “catastrophic,” he adds.Sri Lanka is also feeling the aftershocks of the war in Ukraine. Along with disrupting key grain exports and driving up global food and fuel prices, the conflict has battered two of its top tourist markets – Russia and Ukraine itself – reducing the availability of hard currency and, in turn, Sri Lanka’s ability to import, with far-reaching effects.

“Around 200,000 fishermen are out of their livelihoods because this country doesn’t have fuel following import restrictions,” says Siddiqui. “We need to provide support to the smallholder farmers,” he adds. “International organizations like WFP have a duty to step in to provide emergency food assistance to the most vulnerable cross-section of the population.”

WFP kicked off its emergency response operation mid-June, distributing food vouchers to pregnant women in some of the underserved sections of the capital.

“Through our emergency response, we aim to scale up and reach 3.4 million people with food and nutrition assistance,” says Siddiqui. “This will not only be in the form of food but also cash and vouchers, which enables people to buy food and other essentials based on their specific needs.”

WFP’s emergency response will also support resuming a key program: providing food to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and malnourished young children – bridging a key gap created when Sri Lanka’s Government was forced to halt critical assistance programs for lack of funds.

Similarly, WFP’s support for the national school meal program will ensure that primary grade children continue to receive the daily meals that help them learn and grow.

But these and other essential initiatives are costly. WFP needs US$63 million to provide life-saving assistance to 3.4 million people in Sri Lanka in the coming months.

“We urgently need more funds to ensure we can carry out our operations as planned,” Siddiqui says. “We are urging donors to support not just WFP’s program but also other humanitarian programs which will provide much-needed assistance to those most at risk.”

All News Advertisement

News

The President’s Fund has been transformed into a people-centred fund – PM

Published

1 hour ago

2026/07/12

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the President’s Fund has been transformed into a people-centred fund and that ensuring equal access to education for all children is a key policy of the Government.

The Prime Minister made these remarks on 11th of July at Temple Trees while participating in the “Sarasavi Diriya Abhiman 2026” programme, organised to recognise students with special needs pursuing university education.

The President’s Fund has decided to provide financial assistance of Rs. 100,000 each to 370 students admitted under the special needs category through the University Grants Commission, and under the first phase of the programme, cheques were presented to 236 students.

Addressing at the event, Prime Minister stated:

“It is the Government’s policy to ensure equal access to education for all children, including those with special needs, such as neurodivergent and those with autism or dyslexia, without leaving any child behind in the education system. Vice-Chancellors and other education authorities bear a responsibility to ensure that the necessary practical accessibility facilities are available to these students within universities. In addition, the Government is taking steps to digitalise the education system through assistive technologies and to develop public transport and physical infrastructure in a manner that is accessible and inclusive for persons with special needs.These students are not a burden to the country; they are valuable human resources capable of contributing to sustainable development. The ultimate objective is to build a civilised society that recognises and respects the value of every individual.

The occasion was attended by the Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Upali Pannilage, Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva, and several others.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

News

Thambuttegama Water Supply Project Commissioned by the President

Published

5 hours ago

2026/07/12

Priyan

The Thambuttegama Water Supply Project, which will benefit 91,810 people in the Thambuttegama, Thalawa and Galnewa Divisional Secretariat divisions, was officially commissioned by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Friday (10) afternoon .

The project, which was launched under a concessional loan from the China Development Bank (CDB), was suspended between May 2022 and May 2024 due to the country’s debt restructuring process. However, recognising its national importance, the current Government allocated additional funding from the Government of Sri Lanka to successfully complete the project.

Constructed as a long-term solution to the chronic kidney disease that has spread rapidly across the region, the water supply project is also expected to improve the social and economic well-being of local communities.

The project aims to provide 25,000 new household with water connections.

Built at a cost of Rs. 32 billion, the project comprises a water treatment plant with a daily capacity of 18,000 cubic metres, three water towers with a capacity of 1,500 cubic metres each, a 12.75-kilometre water transmission pipeline and a 158-kilometre water distribution network.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Susil Ranasinghe said:

“The Thambuttegama Water Supply Project, which was declared open today by the President, has the capacity to provide safe drinking water to 25,000 families. The project has been completed at a cost of Rs. 32 billion. It was implemented with the assistance of the China Development Bank, but construction came to a standstill due to the economic crisis experienced in recent years. Over the past two years, we allocated funds through the national budget and have now successfully completed the project.

At the initial stage of the project, concerns were raised over drawing water from the Rajanganaya Reservoir. Farmers protested against the proposal. However, today this project is being commissioned with the blessing and support of the Rajanganaya farmer leaders, who are present here. They presented their concerns to us and we are committed to addressing them.

Their foremost concern was to ensure that no farmer in Rajanganaya would face a shortage of irrigation water as a result of water being diverted for this project. I can assure you without hesitation that there is absolutely no reason for concern. Not even a single drop of water required for agriculture will be denied in order to supply drinking water. This project is, after all, intended to provide clean drinking water to farming families themselves.

They also requested that compensation be paid if cultivation is affected due to any water-related issue. I assure you that there is no cause for concern on that front either. This Government has consistently compensated farmers affected by disasters. We paid Rs. 1.2 billion in compensation for losses suffered by farmers over the past seven cultivation seasons due to the Nilwala saltwater barrier. We also resolved long-standing issues relating to land acquisition under the Yan Oya Project and allocated Rs. 180 million to the District Secretary to compensate the affected landowners. In addition, Rs. 12 billion has been paid in compensation to around 200,000 farmers whose farmlands were damaged by Cyclone Ditwah. Therefore, if farmers suffer any losses or damage to their lands in the future, this Government stands ready to provide compensation.

Another request made by the farming community was the construction of the Ginipetti Bridge if water is to be drawn for this project. We have already allocated Rs. 240 million to build a new bridge capable of accommodating vehicular traffic and foundation work will commence shortly. At the same time, a team of experts has been appointed to determine whether the existing Ginipetti Bridge can be rehabilitated or whether an entirely new bridge is required. Therefore, I assure the farming community once again that we will not allow them to suffer any hardship or loss as a result of this project.”

Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe, Governor of the North Central Province Wasantha Jinadasa, public representatives of the province, Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong, officials of the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, together with a large number of local residents, were also present at the event.

[PMD]

News

New Chairman and members appointed to the Public Service Commission

Published

5 hours ago

2026/07/12

Priyan

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed S. A. Nimal Saranatissa as the new Chairman of the Public Service Commission.

The other members appointed to the Commission are B. Sanath Poojitha, E. R. Weerakoon, R. Ketheeswaran, J. M. R. Jayasundara, E. A. P. N. Edirisinghe, Dr S. A. A. N. Jayasekara and M. H. Mohammed Sameel.

The letters of appointment were presented to the newly appointed Chairman and members by Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake at the Presidential Secretariat Thursday (09) afternoon .

The appointments have been made to fill the vacancies that arose following the expiry of the previous term of office of the Public Service Commission

[PMD]