Sri Lanka’s fishing industry is facing the brunt of a burgeoning economic crisis that the island country is embroiled in with fishermen facing acute fuel shortages for their boats unable to head out to sea.
According to a report, fishing is a major livelihood for Northern Tamils and the fuel shortage in the crisis-hit country has paralysed the industry. Local media reported that the fishermen in the northern part of the country who typically fish on alternate days are unable to venture into the seas even once in a week.
A country boat requires 30 litres of kerosene for a day’s fishing whereas now they are able to just about manage only 20 litres once in a week.
The deep economic crisis in the country continues to worsen with the Forex reserves plummeting to USD 500 million.
Apart from that, the scarcity of ice bars used to preserve fish and the unavailability of transportation to take the catch to Colombo and other places for sale have crippled the livelihoods of the fishermen.
The fishermen in Analaitivu, Nainativu, and other areas of the Jaffna district are the most affected as they are even not able to come to Jaffna to purchase kerosene.
With Sri Lanka has been going through a severe economic crisis, India is providing a financial package to Colombo so that it can meet some of the more immediate needs and help stabilise its domestic economy.
Emergency rule was declared in the island nation after anti-government protests turned violent. Sri Lanka has been going through a severe economic crisis caused in some measure by a shortage of foreign exchange resulting in lengthy power cuts, price spirals and a shortage of essential items.