SRI LANKA NEWS – (APRIL 2021) – Compiled by Victor Melder

A critically endangered new species of geckos (Cnemaspis lokugei) was discovered from Haputale and Idalgashinna areas in Sri Lanka’s central highlands. This was the first to be recorded so far for 2021. The newly discovered species was named in honor of Ajith Nethkelum Lokuge, a pioneer ecologist, analogue forestry specialist and a senior member of Young Zoologists’ Association (YZA) of Sri Lanka, for his significant contribution towards environmental conservation and research in Sri Lanka. “With the new find, the number of Cnemaspis species has increased to 38”, says lead scientist Suranjan Karunarathna of the Nature Explorations and Education Team. Depending on the known area of occupancy, the species is considered critically endangered, he said. “Our morphological and molecular analysis and previous studies strongly indicate the presence of a novel species of Cnemaspis. This has added yet another species to the growing list of this particular category”, Karunarathna noted. He further said the Cnemaspis species adapt to a scansorial and crepuscular mode of life, with most being rupicolous, while a few are arboreal or ground-dwelling Sri Lankan representatives of the genus are microhabitat specialists with narrow niches limited to moist, cool, canopy-shaded rock outcrops, granite caves, trees, abandoned buildings, buildings associated with caves, wattle and daub houses and semi-naturalized rock walls, where their cryptic morphology and body colouration camouflage them in the environment. (Sunday Island, 4.4.2021)

Plantation companies have taken steps to pay workers a daily wage of Rs.1,000 approved by the Wage Management Board. The basic daily salary of Rs.900 and an allowance of Rs.100 amounting to Rs.1,000 has been paid to workers. Earlier, estate workers were paid a daily wage of Rs.750 by the plantation companies. In the last budget, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa proposed that the daily wage of a plantation worker be increased to Rs.1,000. After lengthy discussions between the Ministry of Labour, the plantation companies and the trade unions, the Wages Board decided to increase the daily wage of an estate worker to Rs.1,000.The plantation workers expressing their views to the media regarding the payment of a salary of Rs.1,000 per day thanked the Government and the plantation unions for providing the much awaited salary increase.(Daily News, 10.4.2021)

Leading Aircraftman Roshan Abeysundara of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has set a new world record swimming across Palk Strait from Talaimannar to Dhanushkodi and back in 28 hours. The 32-year-old swimmer took 28 hours, 19 minutes and 58 seconds to swim from Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka to the coast of Dhanushkodi, Rameshwaran in India and back covering a distance of 59.3 kilometers. Abeysundara enters the record book breaking the 50 year old record set by Sri Lankan swimmer V.S. Kumar Anandan in 1971 by swimming the distance in 51 hour. He created a new record by swimming a 25Km distance from Matara to Koggala on January 3, 2021 clocking a time of 10 hours and 37 minutes and went on to renew the record by swimming a distance of 49Km from Matara to Hikkaduwa and back to Unawatuna on 27 February 2021 with a timing of 23 hours and 10 minutes, the Air Force said. Abeysundara is a Level III swimming instructor affiliated to American Swimming Coaches Association and has undergone training from the legendary Julian Bolling. He is an experienced life guard who has obtained the Level II standard from Sri Lanka Life Saving. Born 1989 in the Southern coastal city of Talalla, Leading Aircraftman Abeysundara is a born swimmer whose forte being open water swimming. He entered competitive swimming as a schoolboy at the Matara Central College. (Colombo Today, 11.4.2021)

Sri Lanka’s cash strapped government looks set to receive a financial lifeline from China for foreign debt servicing, affirming it as lender of the last resort to the island nation. In the wake of foreign reserves plummeting to US$4.1 billion sufficient for three months of imports, the Finance Ministry has signed an agreement to get a $500 million loan from China Development Bank (CDB), a senior Treasury official said. The CDB loan facility of $500 million would be disbursed this month, he said adding that the April tranche is the second 500 million dollars of a 1.2 billion dollar facility Sri Lanka has been seeking from the CDB. The country has already received $ 500 million last year as the first tranche of the CDB facility, he revealed. The $700 million balance CDB loan would come in as a $500 million dollar credit and the balance $200 million would be Renminbi denominated, he said. Sri Lanka has about $3.5 billion of foreign currency denominated debt to repay from March to December 2021, and the balance is owned by resident holders, officials said. Sri Lanka began the year with about $6.8 billion of forex denominated debt due in 2021 of which about $ 2.5 billion was domestically owned, a senior Central Bank official said. These include Sri Lanka Development Bonds and loans taken from the foreign currency banking units of domestic banks, he explained. (BS) (Times Online, 13.4.2021)The Government has issued a circular to provide a Rs 5,000 allowance to low income families and Samurdhi beneficiaries, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, for the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year. But this has caused a problem for Samurdhi Officers. Meanwhile, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said, in a press release, that the Presidential Task Force for Economic Revival and Poverty Eradication will carry out the provision of the Rs 5000 allowance to identified families at Grama Niladhari Level. Samurdhi Officers have been requested to provide the allowance before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. In the meantime, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena urged shop owners to keep their shops open in the coming days as people can purchase goods in the next few days after receiving the allowance. The allowance was confirmed on 10 April in a circular released by the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister’s office promising Rs 5,000 to low-income families for the Sinhala and Hindu New Year.(Ceylon Today, 12.4.2021)

Three farmers at Thannimurippu in Mullaitivu have died after being struck by lightning while working in the fields. According to reports, the incident had taken place last evening (15) and the three farmers had died on the spot. The victims were residents of Kumalamunai West , Kumalamunai Central and Vatrappalai. With the extreme heat prevailing in the area, thundershowers were experienced in the evenings. Meanwhile another famer working in his paddy field in Wellaveli in Batticaloa also has died due to lightning last evening. (Sunday Times, 18.4.2021)

Workers’ remittances in February have grown by 10% year on year to $ 580 million, Central Bank said. This increase led cumulative workers remittances to record a growth of 13.2% year-on-year, to $ 1.25 billion in the first two months of 2021 in comparison to the corresponding period of 2020. In January, the figure was $ 675 million, up by 16.3% from a year earlier.   Last year Sri Lanka received $ 7.1 billion worth of workers’ remittances up by 5.8% from 2019. (Daily Financial Times, 19.4.2021)

The headline inflation in March as measured by the year-on-year (YOY) change based on the NCPI has been compiled as 5.1%, up from 4.2% in February. Contributions to the inflation rate of March 2021 from food group and non-food group are 4.0% and 1.1% respectively. Whilst contributions of food and non-food groups to the inflation in March 2020 were 6.0% and 1.0% respectively, it resulted in a headline inflation of 7.0%. Comparing the month-on-month changes, NCPI in March 2021 has decreased to 142.1 from 142.8 reported in February 2021. This shows a decrease of 0.7 index points or 0.5% as compared to February 2021. The month-on-month change was contributed by decrease of index values of food items by 0.63% and increase of index values of non-food items by 0.16%. Price decreases of food items were reported for vegetables, green chilies, red onions, coconuts, potatoes, limes, tamarind, big onions and eggs. However, increases in index values were reported for green gram, fresh fruits, chicken, cowpea, garlic, coconut oil, rice, Mysore dhal and fresh fish. The increases in index values of non-food groups in March 2021 compared to the previous month was mainly due to the price increases in groups of items ‘Restaurants and Hotels’, ‘Alcoholic Beverages, Tobacco and Narcotics’ (betel leaves and tobacco – chewing), ‘Clothing and Footwear’, ‘Transport’ (lubricating oil and cost of servicing of vehicles) and ‘Furnishing, Household equipment and Routine household maintenance’. Further, very slight price increases were reported in groups of ‘Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other fuels’, ‘Health’ and ‘Miscellaneous Goods and Services’ as well. Meanwhile, the price indices of ‘Communication’, Core inflation, which reflects the underlying inflation by excluding volatile items of food, energy and transport groups in the economy as measured by the YOY change based on NCPI for the month of March 2021 has increased to 4.3% from 4.1% in February 2021. (Daily Financial Times, 23.4.2021)

The tea industry witnessed a recovery amidst the COVID pandemic, with a substantial increase in production as well as in export volumes, brokers said this week. The country’s cumulative tea production in the first quarter totaled 74.03 million kg, recording a gain of 20.35 million kg vis-à-vis 53.68 million kg in the same period a year earlier. This shows signs of recovery with January to March gaining 20.35 million kg over the corresponding period of COVID-19-affected March 2020. On a cumulative basis, all elevations have also shown substantial gains, with the Low Growns in particular gaining 48% over the corresponding period of 2020. The cumulative production of CTC teas in the first quarter totaled 6.58 million kg, recording a 1.26 million kg increase compared to 5.32 million kg of January-March 2020. In analysing the respective elevations, Forbes and Walkers said all elevations have shown a significant gain year-on-year (y-o-y) when compared to the corresponding period of 2020. The country’s tea production in March totaled 28.41 million kilograms (m kg), an increase of 14.88 m/kg compared to 13.53 m/kg in the same period last year.
All elevations have shown substantial gains, with Low Growns in particular gaining 129% over the corresponding month of 2020. The total tea exports in March was 25.81 million kg, an increase of 11.99 million kg compared to 13.83 million kg in the same period a year earlier. In March, the total revenue of Rs. 24.54 billion shows an increase of Rs. 12.97 billion compared to Rs. 11.57 billion recorded in the same period a year earlier. The FOB value of Rs. 950.81 ($ 4.86) records the highest-ever FOB value, surpassing the previous highest of Rs. 940.09 ($ 4.87) recorded in February this year. When compared to Rs. 836.74 ($ 4.60) of March 2020, records an increase of Rs. 114.0 The cumulative exports in the first quarter totaled to 69.89 million kg, showing an increase of 10.31 million kg compared to 59.58 million kg recorded in the same period a year earlier. All main categories of exports (Bulk Tea, Tea Bags and Packeted Tea) have shown an increase compared to the corresponding period of 2020.The revenue generated in the first quarter was Rs. 65.62 billion, an increase of Rs. 16.38 billion vis-à-vis Rs. 49.23 billion in the same period last year. Total FOB value of Rs. 938.97 ($ 4.87) shows a gain of Rs. 112.58 compared to the Rs. 826.39 ($ 4.57) during January to March in 2020. (Daily Financial Times, 24.4.2021)

Six COVID-19 deaths were reported yesterday (29) increasing the total number of deaths from the virus to 667. A 49-year-old female from Borelesgamuwa, an 85-year-old from Kandy, a 37-year-old female from Wattala, a 72-year-old female from Welimada, a 77-year-old from Kalutara North and a 61-year-old from Nawalapitiya died mainly from COVID pneumonia and underlying health conditions aggravated by Coronavirus. (Times Online, 30.4.2021)

Over 1,500 COVID-19 positive persons were detected in the island yesterday and the country’s total patient count has risen to 106,484. Health authorities have introduced a New Year cluster and 1,491 of the 1,531 patients detected yesterday were linked to the new cluster. Grouped with the Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda and Prisons clusters, the total number of patients detected in relation to the clusters is 100,736. 40 overseas arrivals also tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. The Epidemiology Unit states that the country’s local cases, excluding yesterday’s patients, include 82,785 patients from the fish market/harbour cluster, 8,578 patients from the New Year cluster, 4,823 patients from the prisons cluster, 3,059 patients from the Minuwangoda cluster, as well as 950 Navy personnel and their contacts and 651 persons form the Kandakadu cluster. The imported cases include 3,499 Sri Lankan returnees from abroad and 295 foreigners.
According to the Epidemiology Unit, 10,372 persons are currently under medical care and hospitals also have 1,113 persons suspected of having COVID-19 under observation. (Daily Financial Times, 30.4.2021)

The number of credit cards in use in the country has crossed the 1.9 million mark, Central Bank data showed. 
The surpassing of the 1.9 million mark follows the issuance of 20,929 new cards in the first two months of 2021. At the end of last year the credit card base amounted to 1.87 million, whilst in 2019 and 2018 it was 1.82 million and 1.64 million respectively. Last year saw a slow 2.7% growth in the credit card market, against a high 11% increase in 2018.  Of the current base of credit cards 1.86 million were globally accepted cards. The total outstanding balance as at end February 2021 was Rs. 118.7 billion, up from Rs. 117.2 billion by end 2020. The globally accepted cards outstanding balance was Rs. 85.4 billion, up from Rs. 84.5 billion in end 2020. In end 2019, the outstanding balance was Rs. 121.5 billion and Rs. 107.8 billion in 2018. (Daily Financial Times, 30.4.2021)