Sri Lanka’s prime minister told parliament that his cash-stricked government will need at least US$ 5 billion over the next 6 months alone, as an economic crisis has affected millions of livelihoods across the island.
Recently appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe told lawmakers that of the US$ 5 billion, US$3.3 billion alone would be needed for fuel imports, whilst US$900 million was needed for food, US$250 million for cooking gas and US$600 million more for fertiliser.
"Only establishing economic stability is not enough, we have to restructure the entire economy," said Wickremesinghe. “We need to achieve economic stability by the end of 2023."
He also said that the United Nations is set to make a worldwide public appeal for Sri Lanka on Wednesday, and has pledged $48 million for food, agriculture and health.
Read more from Reuters here.