The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is further studying the possibility of removing the QR code fuel quota system, the state-owned refiner said on Saturday, signalling the first public discussion of an exit from the rationing regime introduced during the Middle East crisis.
CPC Chairman D.J. Rajakaruna confirmed the review in response to an inquiry from Ada Derana, adding that the quota was put in place to manage fuel supplies amid global tensions. He cautioned, however, that international fuel prices have not declined at the same pace at which they rose, leaving the corporation reluctant to commit to a firm timeline. There is currently no obstacle for consumers purchasing fuel, the chairman said.
The QR rationing system was reactivated during the late-February escalation in the Middle East as part of CPC’s emergency supply management. Deputy Finance Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando had told Parliament in May that the QR system would continue to operate for the foreseeable future given supply risks, and Energy Minister Anura Karunathilake separately confirmed in early June that QR enforcement would be tightened, not relaxed ahead of the Vesak weekend.
Saturday’s signal is the first time the chairman has publicly framed the rationing system as potentially temporary. Global benchmark Brent crude has eased from its mid-May peak, trading near $79 a barrel on June 17 as the completed US-Iran deal and Hormuz reopening eased the war risk premium that had pushed fuel import costs to record highs.
CPC did not announce a timeline or decision on whether or when the QR system would be wound down. Rajakaruna did not address whether vehicle weekly quotas, currently the operational backbone of the rationing regime, would be raised in the interim if global prices continued to soften.
