Sri Lanka is now facing unprecedented fuel and food crisis paralysing the whole country and the people will have to starve as a result of the break down in the supply chain with in the next few weeks, traders and food commodity transporters claimed.
With only a few container transporters in operation, the food commodity stock transportation has become stand still due to shortage of diesel and priority should be given to this sector in providing diesel that is vital in resuming transportation of food commodity stocks between the port and the export zones as well as key markets countrywide.
The All Island Container Transport Owners Federation Chairman Sanath Manjula noted that for about several weeks there has been an acute shortage of diesel as a result of which only a few 0 of their container transporters are in operation in the Western province specially Colombo at present.
He noted that currently they are operational only within Colombo since they do not have any fuel available outside of the commercial capital.
Fuel distribution has become stand still except the supply to Ports , Ceylon Electricity Board , SL Army and bus depots .
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is now not in a position to meet the daily diesel demand of 6000 MT and 3500 MT of Petrol, official sources confirmed.
The current balance stock of fuel at Kollonnawa and Muthurajawela storage terminals was 10,000 MT of diesel and 1000 MT of 92 octane petrol and 4000 MT of 95 octane petrol and 11 fuel distribution centres of Ceypetco have been keeping closed.
25 percent of power generation is still being carried out using thermal power generators and the public transportation has become near standstill.
Paddy harvesting of Batticaloa and Ampara paddy fields is ready to commence but harvesting machines cannot be operated without diesel as there was no supply to these areas up to now, several agrarian officials said.
