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Lanka seeks food aid; UN to make global appeal on Wednesday
View(s):- Decision taken after Premier Wickremesinghe holds talks with high-level representatives of world body
announce a formal appeal for food and medicines following a request by the Sri Lanka Government, Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris confirmed yesterday.This S-O-S for international help from the world body follows talks held by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Country Representative Vimlendra Sharan and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Deputy Country Representative Malin Herwig. The talks centred on Sri Lanka’s current food situation.
Mr Wickremesinghe had explained that, in view of the threat of a food shortage, a food security programme was being compiled by Agriculture Department officials, a statement said. “This programme is due to be unveiled next month, with the UNDP expressing their support for the initiative.”
UN Resident Coordinator Hanna Singer-Hamdy in response to a question from the Sunday Times, indicated that Mr Wickremesinghe requested UN support on May 19 “for multi-sector international assistance”.
Consequently, the UN Country Team in Sri Lanka with partner organisations in the Humanitarian Country Team and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is preparing “a Humanitarian Needs and Priorities Plan for a four-month response to address the emergency needs of the most vulnerable and/or affected,” Ms Singer-Hamdy added.
The Prime Minister has conveyed to UN agencies that the biggest issue facing the agriculture sector was the fertiliser and fuel shortage. He described to them the urban agriculture initiative he was setting up to overcome a potential food shortage.
The UNDP reportedly explained that it was compiling “an innovative farming assistance programme which would help the farming community to overcome the fertiliser shortage”.
Meanwhile, the FAO conveyed that donors had stepped forward to assist the country in the urban agriculture programme, and it was hopeful that successful implementation would see more financial support provided. It said it was drafting “a food crisis response plan” that can be enacted in Sri Lanka.
The prevailing agriculture shortages could be curtailed within five to six months “if swift action was taken to address the shortages faced by the farmers”, Mr Wickremesinghe said.
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