EU says it stood shoulder to shoulder with Sri Lankans

The European Union (EU) says over the last decades it stood shoulder to shoulder with Sri Lankans to help the country recover from its civil war, the 2004 Tsunami, the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the economic and food crisis.

Lars Bedal, Deputy Head of Delegation to the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives said that this year?s World Food Day theme is to ?Leave no one behind?.

“This is also key priority for our cooperation with Sri Lanka. The European Union is a long-standing humanitarian and development partner. Over the last decades, we stood shoulder to shoulder with Sri Lankans to help the country recover from its civil war, the 2004 Tsunami, the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the economic and food crisis. With initiatives like ‘Support to Small and Medium Enterprises in the Organic Agriculture Sector’ we want to promote better food production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life,? he said.

He was speaking at a penal discussion held to highlight the importance of promoting organic, export-oriented agriculture products, a panel discussion was organized with the participation of Sri Lankan SMEs working within the agriculture and food sectors on the topic of “Safe food for a healthy tomorrow” to commemorate World Food Day 2022.

World Food Day 2022 highlights the importance of supporting the sustainable production of accessible and nutritious food for everyone. A vital element of this process includes supporting local agri-businesses by creating an enabling environment for producers to work towards high value production and value-addition.

Recognizing the need to support Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs) within Sri Lanka?s organic agriculture sector, the Lost Ingredients Lab is a platform targeted to support Sri Lankan organic and regenerative agriculture and food sectors, to integrate their value chains through innovation and collaboration. The Lost Ingredients Lab seeks to work with lesser-known organic agriculture products in Sri Lanka, to amplify their potential within local and global markets.

Implemented by Dilmah Tea, in partnership with Good Life X, and funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Lost Ingredients Lab?s newest cohort includes companies working with jackfruit, gotukola and seaweed products. The selected companies will work closely with the experts of the Lost Ingredients Lab and leverage the skills and support of sectoral experts to bring global recognition for all three local products. (Colombo Gazette)