The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is “further studying” the possibility of ending the QR-code fuel quota system that has rationed petrol and diesel purchases through several Middle East–driven supply shocks, Chairman D.J. Rajakaruna has said.
Rajakaruna told Ada Derana that global fuel prices “have not decreased at the same speed that they had increased” earlier in the year, but added there is currently no obstacle for consumers buying fuel under the existing arrangement.
The QR mechanism — originally rolled out in 2022 during the foreign-exchange crisis — was reactivated in early 2026 as the Iran war pushed shipping risk premiums up and forced the CPC to ration limited stocks. Deputy Finance Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando told parliament in May the QR system would continue and Energy Minister Anura Karunathilake later warned of strict enforcement as the May import bill climbed to US$524 million.
Rajakaruna’s comments are the first public signal from CPC that the rationing system is under review. They follow a steady improvement in supply conditions after the US-Iran ceasefire mechanism took effect, with the corporation telling the Committee on Public Finance in mid-June that fuel subsidies were due to end this month without an immediate price hike.
The chairman did not give a timeline for any decision on ending the QR system or indicate whether it would be lifted in stages by fuel type or geography. The CPC has yet to formally publish a roadmap for unwinding the rationing arrangements introduced over the last six months.
Update — June 21: CPC confirms QR system stays
A day after disclosing the review, the CPC told NewsFirst on Sunday that the QR code distribution system will not be removed. Chairman Rajakaruna said the decision had been taken to “continue managing fuel consumption effectively,” citing continued fluctuation in global fuel prices as the reason for retaining the rationing layer. The corporation did not change any of the existing per-vehicle weekly quota figures or fuel-type rules.
The reversal closes — for now — the first public window in which the rationing system was framed as potentially temporary, and aligns the CPC’s public stance with the parliamentary Anil Jayantha statement that the QR system would continue and the Karunathilake enforcement directive.
