FAO says small farmers, fishers need recovery support for food security of Ditwah-hit Lanka

Colombo, Dec 12 (PTI) Smallholder farmers and fishers are among the most affected in wake of the devastating cyclone Ditwah, the FAO said on Friday, adding, timely assistance will ensure not just their recovery but also food security for Sri Lanka.

The smallholder paddy farmers, vegetable growers, and small-scale fishers -- the backbone of Sri Lanka’s food system -- produce most of the rice, vegetables, and fish consumed across the country, providing livelihood opportunities for a large share of rural households.

At least 640 people died and 211 remain missing as of Friday, the Disaster Management Centre data showed, as Sri Lanka grapples with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity since mid-November.

Floods and landslides before, during and after the cyclone damaged fields, farm tools, fishing equipment, boats, and landing sites and disrupted the smallholders and the fishing community's ability to work.

“Their rapid return to production is vital not only for their own recovery, but also for ensuring food security and supporting rural economies in the months ahead,” the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a statement here.

Figures published by the government indicated that 1,08,000 hectares of rice paddy, 11,000 Other Field Crops and 6,600 hectares of maize have been fully destroyed, it said.

With timely and targeted assistance, these communities will have the strength, resilience, and capacity to recover quickly, the FAO representative in Sri Lanka, Vimlendra Sharan, said.

Most of the farmers affected by Cyclone Ditwah are smallholders cultivating modest plots of land, and for them the timing of support is as critical as the support itself, Saran said.

“If these farmers are unable to replant during the current season or rehabilitate their fields, making them fit for agriculture again, before the upcoming sowing season, national paddy production is likely to face disruptions that may extend beyond 2025,” the FAO statement warned.

Agriculture and fisheries have consistently proven to be highly effective drivers of post-disaster recovery, offering strong returns on relatively modest investments, the FAO pointed out.

The most severe impact to paddy cultivation has been observed in Batticaloa, Anuradhapura, Puttalam and Polonnaruwa, where flooding reached near-total (over 75 per cent) coverage of paddy lands, disproportionately affecting districts in which more than two-thirds of the population depends on paddy farming for their livelihoods.

Serious impacts were also recorded in Monaragala, Matale, Mullaitivu and Trincomalee, where 40–65 per cent of paddy fields were inundated, affecting communities highly reliant on rice cultivation.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Friday said it has launched an over USD 8 million humanitarian appeal to deliver urgent life saving support to women and girl victims of cyclone Ditwah, claiming their safety, health and integrity are at risk.

UNFPA said the November 28 cyclone had affected more than 2 million people across all 25 districts destroying homes, damaging health facilities and displacing hundreds of thousands.

“As communities struggle to recover amid loss and uncertainty, women and girls are facing heightened and overlapping vulnerabilities, including disrupted access to sexual and reproductive health services, increased exposure to gender-based violence, and mental distress,” the UNFPA said.

In Sri Lanka, as many as 5,20,000 women of reproductive age are among the affected, it added.

“UNFPA is scaling up its response and is urgently mobilising resources to reach more than 2,08,400 women and girls -- including pregnant and lactating women -- apart from elderly women, and people with disabilities with lifesaving sexual and reproductive health services, prevention and response to gender-based violence, and mental health and psychosocial support. PTI CORR NPK NPK