Sri Lanka is appealing for food assistance from its neighbours as the country’s debt crisis spirals into a humanitarian emergency.
The government is applying for aid from a food bank operated by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, which has supplied rice and other staples to member states during food crises.
J Krishnamoorthy, Sri Lanka’s food commissioner, told the Financial Times that her department had “just started the process” of applying. “We have contacted SAARC . . . [regarding] food bank assistance,” she said, adding that Sri Lanka was seeking about 100,000 metric tonnes of food either as donations or subsidised sales.