Aug 07, Colombo: Increase of global food prices and the added inflationary situation in Sri Lanka are expected to affect dietary quality and the micro nutrient requirements of people and may aggravate the current levels of malnutrition.

According to the latest statistics released by the Health and Nutrition Ministry and the Census and Statistics Department, current level of anemia and malnutrition of mothers is 30%.

Under-weight among children is at 22% while stunting among the children is at 18%. Under-weight and stunting means chronic malnutrition among children under the five years of age. Wasting or acute malnutrition among children under five years currently stands at 15%.

Sri Lanka government is in the habit of boasting of its achievements in reducing these levels in the past 30 years. In contrary, UNICEF says that although the latest statistics indicate a slight improvement since the last survey in 2000, the lack of significant improvement since the 1970s underscored the ineffectiveness of some nutrition programmes.

Despite government efforts the levels are very high and the current economic and social conditions may exacerbate the situation.

Worst situation is in strife-torn Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts. Trincomalee records the worst level of wasting which is 28%. In the districts where estate workers and rural farmers live, the malnutrition rates are very high. Forty one percent of children in Nuwara Eliya District were stunted, while in Badulla, 32 percent of the children were underweight.

Sri Lanka spent US $ 1 billion in the year 2007 as the total food import bill. This is expected to be increased to US $ 1.4 billion in 2008.