Sri Lanka, March 10 -- The government has clarified the reasons behind the recent increase in fuel prices despite earlier assurances that sufficient fuel reserves were available in the country.

Speaking at the weekly cabinet media briefing held at the Department of Government Information, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa claimed that fuel consumption in the country had risen sharply over the past several days, leading to a reduction in existing reserves. As a result, new fuel shipments had to be ordered, which arrived at significantly higher global market prices, prompting the government to adjust domestic fuel prices, the Minister stated.

Minister Jayatissa noted that global crude oil prices have increased by about 37.76 pe...