Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara says  fuel supply had become extremely challenging  since the release of sufficient foreign exchange  by the Central Bank had been limited .

He said the credit lines of US $ 700 million had been exhausted , and discussions were underway to secure another US$ 550 million from India .

Also , the Minister alternate arrangements had been worked out  to secure fresh supplies of fuel in the future .

Minister Wijesekara also said some buses operate on kerosene instead of diesel and therefore the release of kerosene will also be rationalized.

The fuel distribution in the country will not be streamlined until the fuel price increase comes into effect by June 24, Samagi United Trade Union Force (SUTUF) convener and media spokesman Ananda Palitha said.

He noted that there is a possibility of increasing the price of fuel vby more than Rs. 60.

According to the power and energy ministry secretary, the fuel price increase should take effect on the 24th of each month.The most recent fuel price increase was on May 24.

Plans have been made to increase the price of a litre of 92 Octane petrol by Rs.74,95 Octane petrol by Rs.78, a litre of diesel by Rs.56, a litre of super diesel by Rs.65 and a litre of kerosene by Rs.210, Palitha said.

Therefore, the responsible authorities are not in a position to distribute fuel until the price increase comes into effect on June 24.

“As a result, 5,500 MT of petrol and 11,000 MT of diesel are currently in hand at Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) storage facilities. The last shipment of diesel (40,000MT) arrived in the country yesterday under the Indian Credit Line facility,” he said.

The country needs 6,000 MT of diesel and 5,000 MT of petrol daily for the smooth running of the economy, he said.

With the receipt of the last diesel shipment, there are no more petrol or diesel freight scheduled to arrive. Moreover, Palitha said that a total of 520,000MT (13 shipments) of diesel and petrol have been received.

With the fuel distribution has been curtailed, we can see the longest fuel queues in history, Palitha added.

The UN and partners launched a joint Humanitarian Needs and Priorities Plan(HNP) requesting more than $47 million, to aid some 1.7 million worst hit by the spiraling economic crisis, which has seen the country struggling to pay for essential imports, amid rising debt, food, fuel and medical supply shortages.

The multi-pronged crisis that has led to widespread protests, was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated collapse of the tourism sector across the South Asian island nation.

Food inflation in Colombo rose to a record high of 57.4 percent in May, said WFP in a press release, and widespread shortages of fuel for cooking and transport, means that poorer families are struggling to feed themselves.

Nearly five million people, or 22 percent of the Sri Lankan population, are food insecure and in need of assistance, the agency said. Nutritious foods, such as vegetables, fruits and protein-rich products are now out of reach for many.

Under this setup the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) initiated a program to distribute food vouchers to pregnant women in underserved districts of Colombo, marking the start of WFP’s emergency response in the country.

WFP is working to provide life-saving food, cash and voucher assistance to three million of the most vulnerable people who can no longer meet their food needs due to Sri Lanka’s unprecedented economic crisis.

According to the WFP, the monthly vouchers are valued at Rs.15,000 (US$ 40) and will enable more than 2,000 women to buy much-needed food, and are delivered alongside antenatal care provided by the Public Health Division of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).

The WFP, pointing out that the food inflation in Colombo set a record high of 57.4% in May, said that widespread shortages of fuel for cooking and transport means poor families are struggling to afford food. Nearly five million people, or 22% of the Sri Lankan population, are food insecure and in need of assistance.

Nutritious foods, such as vegetables, fruits and protein-rich products are now out of reach for many low-income families. WFP’s recent surveys indicated that 86% of families are resorting to at least one coping mechanism, including eating less, eating less nutritious food and even skipping meals altogether.

“Pregnant mothers need to eat nutritious meals every day, but the poorest find it harder and harder to afford the basics. When they skip meals they’re putting their and their children’s health at risk,” said Anthea Webb, WFP Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific from Colombo.

“Poor families in cities and those who work on estates have seen their incomes plummet while market prices have soared. Each day that passes sees an increase in food and fuel prices globally, making it vital that we act now,” she noted.

WFP has long supported the Sri Lankan Government’s national nutrition programmes, but they are severely constrained by the economic crisis.

To bolster existing social safety net programmes, WFP’s emergency response programme aims to assist one million children through the national school meal programme, one million people participating in the Thriposha programme which provides nutritionally-fortified food to mothers and children, and one million people in need of emergency food rations through food, cash or vouchers.

Given its concern that food and nutrition needs will persist beyond September, WFP estimates it will require US $60 million to assist three million people from June through December 2022.

Existing donors to WFP’s Sri Lanka programme include Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Japan, Korea, Mastercard, Russia, Switzerland, United Nations Peacebuilding Fund and the United States.