Sri Lanka to support food aid flexibility at international trade talks.

Sri Lanka to support food aid flexibility at international trade talks, against looming agriculture subsidy reduction shocks.





Sri Lanka to support food aid flexibility at international trade talks, against looming agriculture subsidy reduction shocks. With impending cuts on export subsidies due to increase food prices and food aid also under threat, Sri Lanka is putting its mouth where the food is at international trade talks.

"Food aid is very important for Sri Lanka.

So we have taken a position on this," said K J Weerasinghe, Director General of Commerce on Tuesday.

Speaking at the launch of a €1.

6 million EU-Sri Lanka trade development project – an EU aid programme to build trade capacity in Sri Lanka – Weerasinghe said Sri Lanka is pushing for flexibility in future food aid rules.

This year, already, Sri Lanka consumed over 50,000 MT of food aid, mostly as emergency assistance for over 800,000 people displaced by the tsunami in December 2004.

Even under ordinary circumstances, the island requires over 17,000 MT of food aid every year, mainly to feed over 200,000 conflict displaced people, accordin