Devjyot and Uditha Jayasinghe

NEGOMBO. Sri Lanka (Reuters). Anton Fernando counts his tuna and fish sales on a Negombo dock. Negombo is a fishing community in Sri Lanka where financial crises are already causing problems.

Fernando, his four-man crew and the other dozen trawlers that are gently bobbing around do not have the best math. From their exhausting expedition, each takes home 40,000 Sri Lankan Rupees ($130).

Fernando, 44, stated that “this will not suffice to cover their household costs,” holding up a pen and numbers in a notebook. Even before we leave, we are aware that it is not enough to pay our electricity and water bills and cover tuition costs and food.

An island nation with 22 million inhabitants, located off India’s southern tip, faces its biggest financial crisis in decades. COVID-19 has mismanaged the government finances and made ill-timed tax cut decisions, resulting in dwindling foreign reserve.

The central bank announced last week that it would suspend repayments on certain foreign debts while it restructures.

Protesters throng the streets of Colombo demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ouster. This is as the people struggle with high prices, power shortages, and shortages in medicine, fuel, and other essentials.

Negombo is a place where fisherman have to struggle for survival.

Although fishing accounts for only 1.3% of Southeast Asia’s economy it still employs one-tenth as many people and provides food for more. It exports tuna and swordfish to the United States and other countries, including Britain, China, Japan and China. This accounts for 8 percent of its agricultural exports.

The finance and fisheries ministries of Sri Lanka did not respond immediately to emails requesting comment about the measures being taken to aid the fishing industry.

Some fishermen have said they are cutting back on food while others stopped repaying their loans. All those interviewed by Reuters said they are constantly looking for fuel to power their boats or their houses.

“FOCUS IS TO LIVE TODAY”

Negombo is a small fishing community located about 40 kilometers (25 mi) from Colombo. Workers pull fish from the docked boat, weigh them, and then pile them into several refrigerated trucks.

Fernando’s St. Anne 2 trawler is capable of carrying at least 1000 litres (260 Gallons) of diesel, and several hundred kg of ice for every trip.

We have to wait in long lines to obtain fuel, and we don’t know if we will be able to get enough. He said that the cost of ice, bait and nets has increased. The fuel problem has caused many vessels to cease going out at sea.

Two small-sized fishermen said that they use petrol stolen from neighbours and friends’ bikes to fuel their motorbikes.

Ali Sabry, the Finance Minister, stated to Reuters in May that fuel was the top priority. He stated that some of his government’s aid from international lenders, such as the International Monetary Fund, would be given to economically vulnerable people.

Herman Kumara of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement, which represents approximately 9,000 fishermen said that “Fishermen don’t know how to get fuel or manage high food prices.” Their only goal is to survive today.”

According to him, the current crisis has impacted at least half of the region’s trawler fleet and he predicts that there will be a “life-and-death” situation over the next three-to six months.

Mary Dilani claimed she earns 1,500 rupees a days drying fish on a beach nearby, while G.K. Chaminda who borrowed 100,000 rupees for a small rowingboat three years back and is still struggling to repay it, only makes 2,000 rupees.

In their tiny, two-room, beach-front house in Negombo’s Sea Street neighborhood, she stated that “we cannot afford cooking gas anymore.” She lives with her two daughters and their granddaughter. I have changed to a Kerosene stove, but we sometimes cannot find it.”

Family’s greatest worry is the finding of 4,000 rupees to buy textbooks for their daughter, who will soon start school.

Dilani stated, “Life is very difficult.”

($1 = 313.2800 Sri Lankan rupees)