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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Sri Lanka Food Shortages
HEADLINE: Nearly A Quarter of Sri Lanka Facing Food Shortages
TEASER: With no money for food imports and local harvests hit by fertilizer and fuel shortages, experts fear the situation could worsen
PUBLISHED AT: 8/5/2022, at 9:35am
BYLINE: Anjana Pasricha
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: NEW DELHI
VIDEOGRAPHER:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Steve HIrsch, Mary Mooney
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Agencies
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:59
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: MAS
EDITOR NOTES: There is an OCN with this))
((INTRO)) [[An economic crisis in Sri Lanka has led to runaway inflation, making food unaffordable for millions. The problem has worsened as the severe downturn hits both jobs and incomes. Anjana Pasricha has this report.]]
((NARRATOR))
When the door to this community kitchen opens in Colombo, there is a long line of people waiting to enter.
((H.G. Indrani, Colombo Resident (in Sinhalese))
"We have to do something for our children. My children are my future, because of them I am standing here doing all this.”
((NARRATOR))
This is one of dozens of community kitchens that have opened in Sri Lanka as the scale of hunger began to be revealed. Adequate food has become unaffordable for nearly one-quarter of the country as it grapples with an economic meltdown.
((Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, World Food Program - Sri Lanka)) (( via Skype))
“Around 6.3 million people in Sri Lanka are food insecure. That means they are not able to access nutritious diet on a regular basis, out of which around 5.3 million people are either reducing meals or skipping meals.”
((NARRATOR))
The virtually bankrupt country is struggling to import food and fuel. As a result, prices have skyrocketed – food inflation was 90% in July. Prices for staples such as rice and vegetables have doubled. The hardest hit are the urban poor and rural families, who suffered from food deficiencies even before the economic crisis erupted.
((Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, World Food Program - Sri Lanka ((via Skype))
“For example, 70% of the children were stunted – that means their height was lower than their age. and around 15% (of) kids were wasted, that means they were too thin for their height. With this crisis, my understanding is that the nutritional situation will further worsen in the coming days.”
((NARRATOR))
The food crisis is compounded by income losses in the hard-hit tourism and transport sectors, mainstays of its economy and huge income generators.
((Jehan Perera,National Peace Council - Colombo)) (( via Skype))
“For instance, in Colombo, three-wheel drivers, there were lots of three-wheelers in the past but now there are very few in number because they are unable to get the fuel or are given very restricted supplies. Now those people can’t earn an income and then they are faced with these high prices.”
((NARRATOR))
The World Food Program has begun helping the most vulnerable, such as pregnant women and children.
((NARRATOR))
The coming months could see more price hikes. Fertilizers and fuel needed by farmers are in short supply, raising fears that agricultural production could plummet for a second year.
((Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, World Food Program Sri Lanka)) (( via Skype))
“If all those items are not readily available, I am quite worried that the upcoming season which will be coming in October-November, we call it locally, Maha season, that might be impacted. So, it is imperative that we have all the inputs available.”
((NARRATOR))
Initiatives like these are feeding hundreds but only make a small dent in the country’s hunger crisis.
((Anjana Pasricha, for VOA News, New Delhi))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)NEW DELHI
BylineAnjana Pasricha
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
