Au$ 2.5M Aussie food grant

Australia will provide a grant of Australian dollars 2.5 million to boost food security in Sri Lanka through the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), its Foreign Ministry website recently (8 April) said.

This $ 2.5 million in targeted development assistance will support child nutrition, strengthen productivity for smallholder farmers and improve livelihoods in rural areas, it added. 

WFP and FAO will work to improve agricultural practices, strengthen market linkages and provide social protection to vulnerable communities, particularly households that are female-headed, with children under five, or that have pregnant or nursing mothers, the Ministry said.

WFP will also address the immediate nutritional needs of school going children through the provision of meals at school. FAO will support a school garden programme, the Ministry said.

Australia will continue to work closely with regional partners to support health security and economic resilience in the Indo-Pacific. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected food security globally, impacting food supply chains and contributing to escalating food prices, it further said. 

(PA)