Mullaitivu is Sri Lanka’s second poorest district, with 58% of households living in poverty, a Save the Children survey showed in June, and it has the largest number of those saying they lost all their income due to the crisis, about a quarter.
Nationwide, 31% of adult respondents said that, like Soosaiyamutthu, they cut back their food intake to feed their children.
“With this economic situation, they’re getting worse,” said Soma Somanathan, founder of Tears of Vanni.
“They’re being pushed back to after the war,” said Sydney-based Somanathan.
Sri Lanka proposes direct monthly cash transfers to 600,000 more individuals, said Neil Hapuhinne, secretary of the social empowerment ministry.
After 51.3 billion rupees ($146 million) was distributed to 3.2 million homes this year, Hapuhinne said, “The most worthy will be served.”
A $200 million ADB loan would also ease the food crisis, and the government has turned to the World Bank and U.N. agencies.
Soosaiyamutthu dropped his spade at Mullaitivu’s nightfall. He won’t know the harvest’s success for two months.
“If prices dropped, we wouldn’t struggle,” he stated. “Now, even 10% is hard. So pricey.”
A loan of $200 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will also alleviate the food crisis, while the government has turned to the World Bank and U.N. agencies.
At dusk in Mullaitivu, Soosaiyamutthu dropped his spade at the end of the day. It will be two months before he can gauge the success of the peanut harvest.
“If prices went down, we wouldn’t struggle this much,” he said. “Now, even being 10% OK is a struggle. That’s how expensive things are.”
(Curtesy Yahoo News)
