The Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley, plans to visit Sri Lanka upon receiving an invitation from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as the crisis on the island worsens.
According to Wickremesinghe, due to its economic crisis, Sri Lanka will soon face a food shortage. Experts have warned that essential food items will be in short supply come September this year.
The food crisis is the result of a foreign currency shortage that has hindered imports to the island. Additionally, rice production has taken a hit due to a ban on fertilizers imposed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2021.
In a tweet, Wickremesinghe stated that David Beasly of the UN WFP had accepted his invitation to visit Sri Lanka.
Spoke to @WFPChief of the @WFP today and invited him to visit Sri Lanka. He accepted my invitation and is planning to visit shortly. We appreciate all the support extended to us by the @WFP.
— Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) June 10, 2022
The planned visit comes as the United Nations has made an appeal for USD $47.2 million to provide aid to 1.7 million people in Sri Lanka. The aid would be focused on delivering essential goods including medicines, food, and safe drinking water.
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