10 September 2022, Colombo, Sri Lanka - (L-R) Vimlendra Sharan, FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, meeting with S. A. Sujeewa Priyadarshani, Paddy farmer, Ivan Rasiah, USAID Sri Lanka official, and Samantha Power, USAID Administrator.
Background information
The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced an additional USD 40 million to strengthen agriculture in Sri Lanka through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The new funding, subject to Congressional approval, will bring the total USAID funding provided to the Sri Lankan people through FAO this year to $46 million. The funding primarily targets the forthcoming major cultivation season - 2022-2023 Maha (October - March) and the subsequent minor cultivation season - 2023 Yala (April - August). It will provide essential fertilizer and cash transfers for farmers to increase paddy production and avert a protracted food crisis.
