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Sri Lanka is giving authorities officers an additional day without work every week to encourage them to develop meals, amid fears of a meals scarcity.
The nation has round a million public sector staff.
It comes because the island nation, dwelling to round 22 million, faces its worst financial disaster in additional than 70 years.
Sri Lanka is struggling to pay for vital imports equivalent to meals, gas and drugs because it faces a extreme scarcity of foreign currency echange.
Late on Monday, the federal government authorized a proposal for public sector staff to be given depart each Friday for the following three months.
It stated the choice was partly to assist staff who’re dealing with difficulties attending to work on account of gas shortages in addition to to encourage them to develop fruit and greens to assist feed themselves and their households.
“It appears acceptable to grant authorities officers depart for one working day of the week and supply them with the required services to have interaction in agricultural actions of their backyards or elsewhere as an answer to the meals scarcity that’s anticipated to happen sooner or later,” the federal government stated in a press release on its on-line information portal.
Additionally on Monday, the USA stated that it was prepared to assist Sri Lanka.
After a cellphone name with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stated the US “stands able to work with Sri Lanka”.
Earlier this month, Mr Wickremesinghe stated the nation wanted not less than $5bn (£4.15bn) this 12 months to pay for important imports.
The federal government is in talks over an financial bailout package deal, with an IMF delegation anticipated to reach within the capital Colombo subsequent Monday.
The autumn within the worth of the Sri Lankan rupee, rising international commodity costs and a ban chemical fertilisers – which has now been lifted – helped to push annual meals value rises to greater than 57% in April.
On the finish of final month, the nation’s Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera known as on farmers to develop extra rice, saying “it’s clear the meals scenario is changing into worse”.
“We request all farmers to step into their fields within the subsequent 5 to 10 days and domesticate paddy [rice],” he added.
On the identical time the federal government raised taxes to assist shore up its funds.
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