SRI Lanka’s largest private fuel retailer hiked diesel prices more than 40% today, compounding the hardship for ordinary people in the country’s worst economic crisis since independence.

The island nation’s 22 million people have already been reeling from weeks of shortages that have crippled public transport and caused long queues for petrol, food and medicine.

The cause has been a wide-ranging import ban as the government tries to stop the outflow of dollars in order to pay off debt after the Covid-19 pandemic torpedoed the vital tourism sector.

In its third hike in two months, Lanka IOC raised diesel to 252 rupees (RM5.10) a litre from 177 rupees while high octane gasoline was up 50 rupees to 283 rupees.

Official figures show that diesel prices have risen 78.2% while gasoline is up 43.5% since February 6. 

There was no immediate energy price revision by the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, but most of its pumps have been out of fuel. The few that were open saw long queues today.

Overall inflation hit a record 16.8% in January with food prices up 25%.

Supermarkets are rationing staple foods, including rice, sugar and milk powder. 

In a bid to woo more foreign-exchange remittances from Sri Lankans abroad, the central bank on Monday announced “greater flexibility” in the exchange rate after depreciating the currency by 15%.

Since Monday, the rupee has lost about a quarter of its value against the US dollar.

Official sources said today’s fuel price increase reflected the weaker rupee.

Sri Lanka’s foreign currency reserves had fallen to US$2 billion (RM8.4 billion) by the end of last month while it has to repay US$7 billion this year to service its external debt of US$51 billion.

International rating agencies have downgraded the country on fears that it may not be able to repay its debts, but Colombo insists it will somehow honour its obligations. – AFP, March 11, 2022.