Indian exporters have begun packaging 40,000 tonnes of rice for immediate shipment to Sri Lanka, the first major food aid since Colombo acquired a credit line from New Delhi. However, a shipment of 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel from India landed in Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Last month, India, the world’s top rice exporter, agreed to provide a $1 billion credit line to help Sri Lanka alleviate catastrophic shortages of essential commodities such as gasoline, food, and medicine. ‘Rice loading has started in southern ports,’ said B.V. Krishna Rao, general director of Pattabhi Agro Foods, which is importing rice for Sri Lanka State Trading (General) Corp under the Indian Credit Facility Agreement.
High Commission of India in Colombo tweeted, ‘More fuel supplies delivered by India to Sri Lanka! A consignment of 40,000 MT of diesel under Indian assistance through Line of Credit of $500 mn was handed over by High Commissioner to Hon’ble Energy Minister Gamini Lokuge in Colombo today.’
Following violent protests over the country’s greatest economic crisis in decades, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa imposed a statewide state of emergency late Friday.
Post Your Comments