Colombo

Thegovernment on Friday said the sharp fall of the Sri Lankan rupee against the US dollar was caused due to the war in West Asia and not a reflection of its management of the local economy. Deputy Minister of Finance Anil Jayantha Fernando's comments came a day after the endorsement by the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) of the local economy and the government's expectation of over $1200 million influx from international lenders by month end.

Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) closed at 329.00/331.00 to the US dollar in the spot market on Friday, after trading at 342.00/350.00 the previous day, local media reported. Fernando told reporters here that the conflict in West Asia had caused international cost escalations in case of gas, fertiliser, shipping and insurance in addition to oil prices. “The oil price increased sharply during March and April. By May, the fuel import bill has risen to $521 million from around $120-200 million,” the minister said. “The demand for the US dollar has increased, which was why the dollar rose unusually to over LKR 350 yesterday,” Fernando said.

Since the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran in February last week, there have been shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries nearly 20 per cent of global fuel, and resulted in elevated crude oil prices across the world. The Sri Lankan government is expecting the situation to ease after it receives tranches from the international lenders.

The double tranches worth $700 million from the IMF are due after May 27 in addition to $400 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and a further $150 million from the World Bank, the minister said, adding, these are expected to relieve the pressure on the rupee.

Analysts said following Thursday night’s endorsement by the IMF of the local economy, the rupee gained somewhat this morning against the dollar. The rupee had depreciated by over 4.8 per cent since January this year. The IMF Sri Lanka chief Evan Papageorgiou, in a LinkedIn post said, “Sri Lanka’s policy framework today is considerably stronger than in the past. Over the past years, the authorities have made significant progress in restoring macroeconomic stability, rebuilding reserves and strengthening confidence,” he said.