Colombo, Dec 19 (PTI) Some 15,000 vulnerable households in Sri Lanka hit by the ongoing economic crisis have received over USD 1.4 million in cash transfers from the FAO to overcome the shortage of food and other essential commodities in the island nation, the UN agency said on Monday.

This was in addition to over 47,609 families being granted over 2,300 tonnes of fertiliser by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

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According to the FAO's June to December Sri Lanka economic crisis response overview released on Monday, the beneficiaries come from the poorest areas of the island.

“Sri Lanka is witnessing an unprecedented economic crisis, and the situation is exacerbated by political and social turmoil. Nearly 40 per cent of the population of Sri Lanka depend on agriculture as a primary source of income,” it said.

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The overview added that the ongoing crisis was posing an enormous threat to livelihoods disrupting the national food system.

“Agricultural production is in a downward trend since mid-2021 due to the unavailability of fertilisers and other essential production inputs; livestock keepers are unable to access feed and basic veterinary supplies, and fishers are unable to access fuel for motorised boats,” it said.

FAO's Crop and Food Security Assessment conducted jointly with WFP last June revealed that Humanitarian needs in Sri Lanka had continued to rise sharply in 2022. By June one in four people was facing food insecurity.

Their planned assistance includes providing fertiliser to over 7,80,000 people; producing 7,74,000 tons of paddy for rice; providing 53,000 households with cash transfers for basic food and livelihoods; providing over 3.9 million people with fertiliser to restore agricultural production; providing over 5,000 fishing households with cash transfers; to support food insecure households with capacity building for improved nutrition and dietary practices.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)