Sri Lanka Food Crisis: Milk Powder At Rs 790 For 400 Grams; Rice, Sugar Prices Rise Steeply

Most of the refugees entering India are jobless and were forced to leave their country as essential commodities became out of reach due to inflation.

People wait at a fuel station in Colombo (Getty Image)

New Delhi: With the economic crisis deepening in Sri Lanka, the prices of essential commodities, including milk and rice have gone through the roof and people are forced to stand in long queues to recharge fuel. Power supply in various regions of the country has also been hit hard.

Schools are unable to conduct examinations owing to inadequate paper supply for printing question papers.

The worsening situation in the country has forced people to cross into India. Almost 16 Sri Lankan nationals entered Tamil Nadu Tuesday in two batches, according to news agency IANS.

Inflation In Sri Lanka At All-Time High

Most of the refuees entering India are jobless and were forced to leave their country as essential commodities went out of reach due to record inflation and blackmarket prices remain unaffordable.

One of the refugees had to pay Rs 50,000 to a boatman to drop them near Rameswaram. He was later rescued by the Indian coast guard. Another 10 people also reached Tamil Nadu but details were not available as per IANS report.

In a separate report in the The Indian Express, an activist based in Mannar V S Sivakara told the media house that it may be the beginning of an exodus.

Sharing the details of the rising food prices, he said, “It is almost certain that the price of rice will touch Rs (Sri Lankan) 500/ kg in another week. Today, it is Rs 290/kg of rice, Rs 290/kg of sugar and Rs 790 for 400 grams of milk powder."

The rise in food prices have prompted restaurant owners to raise the cost of a cup of milk tea to Rs 100 , as per Reuters. The country does not have money to bring essential goods from outside.

Sri Lanka has been struggling to find dollars to pay for increasingly expensive fuel shipments since January, with its foreign currency reserves dipping to $2.31 billion in February, according to Reuters. In February Sri Lanka's inflation touched 15.1 per cent, highest in Asia, with food inflation soaring to 25.7 per cent, latest government data showed.

At the time of the Civil war in the early 1980s, several Sri Lankans came to India and around 60,000 refugees are living in 107 camps spread across Tamil Nadu. About 30,000 more live outside these camps or in general society.

On March 17, India offered a $1-billion credit facility to Sri Lanka and a day earlier, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa informed that his government would work with the International Monetary Fund to overcome the crisis.

There have been massive protests in Sri Lanka over shortages and steep prices, with thousands gathering on the main Galle Road in Colombo and some even entered the President’s office.