Sri Lanka among 48 countries designated as Hunger Hotspots

Sri Lanka has been categorized as a FAO – WFP Hunger Hotsport or a major food crisis by the UN GRFC.

This was revealed in a recent statement by the International Monetary Fund.

Sri Lanka is among the 48 countries designated as Hunger Hotspots that are considered as countries highly exposed to fed insecurity.

The other countries include a series of nations in the African Continent.

Food insecurity has been rising since 2018. Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the increasing frequency and severity of climate shocks, regional conflicts and the pandemic were all taking their toll, disrupting food production and distribution, and driving up the cost of feeding people and families.

The situation took an even more dramatic turn with the war in Ukraine. This pushed the prices of food and fertilizers higher still—hurting importers and prompting several countries to impose export restrictions, including Sri Lanka.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the result is an unprecedented 345 million people whose lives and livelihoods are in immediate danger from acute food insecurity.

And The World Food Program says that around the globe more than 828 million people go to bed hungry every night.

The impact of the food shock is felt everywhere. The suffering is worst in 48 countries, many highly dependent on imports from Ukraine and Russia—mostly low-income countries. Of those, about half are especially vulnerable due to severe economic challenges, weak institutions, and fragility.

In many places, even though food prices have eased somewhere from recent peaks, still high food—and energy—prices have fueled a cost-of-living crisis that is likely to increase poverty and hurt growth, potentially fueling political instability.

The IMF says that for this year alone, it estimates that highly exposed countries need as much as $7 billion to help the poorest households cope.

Agencies