Food shortage looms for flood-hit Sri Lanka

By Hellene Hoffman | ABC News
.............................................................................................................................................................................................

A major food shortage is looming on Sri Lanka's east coast after heavy flooding.

Thousands of hectares of farmland, 75,000 cattle and several thousand more chickens have been lost to this year's flooding.

In the costal districts of Trincomalee and Batticaloa the season's rice crop has been destroyed.

Surrounding areas are already reporting major increases in the prices of fresh produce, while some of the worst affected villages are surviving on dry rations.

The government has just released 25,000 metric tonnes of rice from its buffer stocks to keep prices stable.

© ABC News