FAO appeals for $16.5 m to restore agrifood livelihoods post-Ditwah

Says $ 400 000 received to date, leaving 97.6% funding gap

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THE Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) Headquarters in Rome has issued an appeal calling for international assis tance of $ 16.5 million to support the early recovery of livelihoods and food security for farming, livestock-keeping, and fishing communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka.

To date, $400 000 has been received, leaving a 97.6% funding gap. Without urgent donor support, hundreds of thousands of households risk missing an entire cultivation season, with lasting consequences for food security, nutrition and rural resilience, the FAO said in a statement.

Cydone Ditwah represents one of the most severe dimate shocks the country has faced in decades, affecting all 25 districts and disrupting the lives and livelihoods of more than 2.2 million people. Over 1.1 million people are now in urgent need of food security, agricultural and nutrition assistance, at a time when vulnerabilities were already heightened by prolonged economic pressures.