Sri Lanka’s energy minister has issued a serious warning regarding the country’s fuel supplies due to its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years. On Sunday, July 3, Sri Lankan politician Kanchana Wijesekera claimed that the nation had just enough fuel to meet less than a day’s worth of demand. This week, Sri Lanka stopped selling gasoline and diesel for non-essential cars due to financial issues. Imports of food, medicine, and fuel are included in this. A supply of diesel is likely to arrive at the weekend, but Wijesekera warned that the country does not have enough money to pay for planned fuel and crude oil imports. Sri Lanka’s central bank could only give $125 million for gasoline purchases, which was significantly less than the $587 million needed for its expected exports.

The nation is experiencing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from the UK in 1948 due to its lack of foreign currency. In May, Sri Lanka failed to make a foreign loan payment for the first time in its history. The government has helped export-driven industries like textiles and garments to survive so the economy can produce significant amounts of foreign currency. The fuel supplies needed to power the equipment in these businesses and transport goods are currently running low, according to a news correspondent.