Food Security, Flavour, Peace & Inflation + Markets, Records & the Met Gala on Kaleidoscope 313

追加: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00]A stray dog from India with a heart-shaped mark on his forehead was struck by a car. Yet, he refused to leave the only family he knows, a group of monks, behind. That was the little monk, also known as Aloka, the peace dog. He walked 3,700 km across the US braving ice-covered highways. Not even major surgery could stop him. He rejoined the monks limping but determined to walk again. And in Sri Lanka, thousands lined the roads pouring water and petals for him and the barefoot monks to walk in the Ehipassiko walk for peace. And with those peace talks, welcome to Kaleidoscope with me, Savitri Rodrigo.

[00:00:58]From the Kaleidoscope studios, Vimukthi Shah, Chef Mukesh Joshi, and our quick headline wrap with news in a blink.

[00:01:06]>> [music] >> In India, when when we let you know that the meat and rice has been cooked, it is that's the the steam started coming out.

[00:01:36]So, this shows like yes, the biryani is properly done. So, it's all about steam.

[00:01:41]And it's those aromatic steam rising dishes that are being served by Chef Mukesh Joshi up at the spectacular level 23, the Indian restaurant at Cinnamon Life. India, well, that's what the name of the restaurant is, too.

[00:01:56]So, I found myself at India, a place where India's flavors meet Sri Lanka's spirit.

[00:02:01]Each plate felt like a journey.

[00:02:04]Biryani's rich with fragrance, tandoor classics kissed by fire, and seafood that told stories of spice and sea.

[00:02:13]This wasn't fine dining in hushed tones.

[00:02:15]It was warmth, connection, and conversation. The kind of meal that lingers long after the last bite.

[00:02:22]So, you must drop everything and drop in. India isn't just a restaurant, it's a chapter in flavor and cuisine itself.

[00:02:30]From YouTube, Facebook to LinkedIn and Instagram, on Kaleidoscope, we have stories that matter. Subscribe and follow, you won't miss out then. A big thank you to our great partners who power us each week, Ceylinco Life, CDB and The Daily Mirror.

[00:03:04]>> [music] >> Introducing CDB self, the digital wallet that makes life easy.

[00:03:21]And now, here are some snappy headlines wrapping up our news this week on CDB news in a blink.

[00:03:27]Sri Lanka's overall rate of inflation increases to 5.4% in April from 2.2% in March. There's been a surge in alcohol production and consumption with beer up by 5% and spirits by 17%.

[00:03:41]Sri Lanka and the Maldives exchange seven MOUs in health, sports, tourism, education, and defense.

[00:03:48]A quick look now at our markets, how they have performed this week. At the Stock Exchange. The All Share Price Index continued to move up slightly above 22,700 while market turnover was low at around 4.8 billion rupees per day, driven largely by major transactions in the banking and tobacco sectors.

[00:04:06]WTI dropped below 101 US dollars per barrel as tensions eased following US-Iran clashes in the Strait of Hormuz, and markets calmed on news that a four-week ceasefire in the region was holding.

[00:04:19]Gold prices moved up above 4,600 US dollars per ounce, supported by a weaker dollar, easing oil prices, and strong central bank demand. Author Daniel Kraus wins the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for Angel Town. And the Met Gala took place this week, chaired by Nicole Kidman, Beyoncé, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.

[00:04:39]>> [music and singing] [music] >> You focus on your goals. We will take care of the risks. Ceylinco Life.

[00:05:11]>> [music] >> Sri Lanka's food security is at crossroads. One in four households struggles with food insecurity, while Cyclone Ditwa left 2.2 million people affected, nearly 10% of the population.

[00:05:31]Rising import dependence, inflation, and global supply shocks compound the crisis. As climate disasters intensify, resilience is tested daily, and we have some questions on Sri Lanka's food future to ask the FAO representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Vimlendra Sharan, on Kaleidoscope Selinko Life Dialogues today. Does Sri Lanka have a food security problem, very briefly? Yes and no.

[00:05:56]Sri Lanka is very dependent on its two cropping seasons. So, in the years where we produce enough, we have food.

[00:06:06]In the years when we have external shocks and the production is hampered, issues of food security do crop up. So, very contextual, depending on how the year has played out.

[00:06:18]So, Sri Lanka's food security snapshot shows an above-average cereal production and but rising import needs. How sustainable is it to keep this balance? Food security will have to be seen with two lenses. One is agriculture and one is the fiscal space you have. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with imports. Not every country is self-sufficient in food.

[00:06:40]So, Sri Lanka produces adequate amount of cereals in a good year, as I said.

[00:06:45]But in a bad year, due to climate issues or any other external shocks, when the production is down, we have to go for imports.

[00:06:53]At such time, the fiscal space available with the government to import food into the country determines your food security. So, I would say it's a interplay of two factors, the agriculture side, the production factor, and the fiscal side.

[00:07:09]The dollars that you have impacting your import food security. Therefore, preferably, should be on a self-sufficiency basis.

[00:07:20]If not, we should have enough in our kitty to be able to import and provide to the public. So, looking back at our most recent natural disaster, Cyclone Ditwa, affected 2.2 million people. How exposed are we to future climate shocks which would disrupt food security? We should not play down the climate impact on Sri Lankan agriculture.

[00:07:43]Whether it be flood, whether it be drought, what we are seeing is a increased intensity and a very high level of recurrence. So, Sri Lanka has to be ready and has to adapt itself, become more resilient to face these onslaughts.

[00:08:01]Coupled with this, also is a fact of external shocks like what we are seeing today.

[00:08:09]When your fertilizer import or your fuel imports get impacted by factors which are just not under your control. So, these things will be very, very crucial for Sri Lankan agriculture in the future. So, post cyclone WFP did some studies, found that there were household vulnerabilities. What do these findings actually say about resilience at community level? We have to make it very clear that we have to and the listeners also have to distinguish between recovery and resilience. I'll give a very short example. You have a mud house, flood comes, the house gets washed away. You rebuild a mud house, that's recovery.

[00:08:52]But you rebuild a concrete cement structure, that's resilience. So, just coming back to where you started from is not what is resilience. As we come out of cyclone Ditwa, we have to understand that rebuilding Sri Lankan agriculture must focus on what is going to come, not what has already happened. And that difference must be very clearly understood. We have to understand how is the climate playing out. We have to understand how are the supply shocks going to play out in the world market and then build our own self to meet those challenges. So, whether we like it or not, global and climate pressures are going to be more the rule than the exception.

[00:09:33]>> Absolutely. What would Sri Sri 5-year outlook for food security be?

[00:09:38]If the fertilizer crisis continues and with this region getting nearly 30% of its fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf countries, you're going to have an impact. And China will be impacted, India will be impacted, Vietnam will be impacted, Indonesia will be impacted. So, if the entire region gets impacted, who do you go and ask for help from?

[00:09:57]So, the global picture also in today's world is very dependent on the on the external supply shocks which come in. So, we have to be ready for this.

[00:10:09]And my sincere hope is that we plan not for 1 year, not for 6 months. Our planning must be in a horizon of 5, 10, 15 years. And we need to strengthen ourselves accordingly.

[00:10:23]Taking a leaf from Aloka, let's pray for peace in the world. See you next week.