Sri Lanka, June 2 -- The Government will tighten the enforcement of the QR quota system for fuel, due to the rapid rise in foreign exchange expenditure for fuel imports and the sharp increase in prices in the world market, Ports, Civil Aviation, and Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka said yesterday.

The Minister noted that the objectives of this move are to safeguard the continuity of the fuel supply, prevent a collapse of the fuel market, and minimise the outflow of foreign exchange from the country.

He said with the rise in fuel prices in the world market, a vast amount of foreign exchange flows out of the country. Giving a breakdown, he said in January, US$ 186 million was spent on fuel imports and in February, it rose to US$ 197 mi...