Shortage of children milk food in Jaffna - NCJ

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 October 2006, 22:21 GMT]
39,000 children under the age of five face malnutrition in Jaffna due to severe shortage of infant food including milk, said North Ceylon Association of Journalists (NCJ) in an appeal Thursday to the Jaffna residential representatives of International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), civil society sources said. The NCJ sought the assistance of the ICRC to bring in milk food products to Jaffna peninsula.

The ICRC representatives expressed their readiness to ship children milk food products from Tricomale to Jaffna provided the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ensure safety during transport.

UNICEF remained silent on the issue of food shortage in Jaffna..

The NCJ in its press report said that the GoSL and the LTTE should urgently address the food shortage and the impending health hazard the children will eventually face while carrying milk food meant for children.

The diminishing stock of children milk food since August 11 had made prices soar where children milk powder sold earlier for 150 rupees, is now unavailable even at 800 rupees.