I went to Sri Lanka several times in my childhood: I even met the US ambassador, on their heli-pad lawn.
The poverty there is palpable and extant. Our landrover was chased by children from teensie villages, as they crossed the field between our hairpin road bends, into the mountains. They wanted money and food.
Most of the arable land is covered in Tea plantations. The gardens cultivated by the people are literally in backyards, and they must grow for nutrition, so mostly root crops and bananas: carrots and potatoes in the highlands.
The country had a thriving tourist industry, which we partook from, and that would have been severely impacted by Covid. Imagine life to become grindingly hungry without that flow of tourists wanting to see elephants bathe, or be climbed on by monkeys, see the snake dance etc. Plus the country had a 'no-cash-leaves-the-country' policy, which forced my parents to buy (and smuggle) precious stones and ruby studded jewellery from peasants, when they left - This would have funded some people's budgets. Remember Ceylon is the Isle of precious stones - but I guess one cannot eat rubies and sapphires. This was long ago, mind you - prolly could not happen now.
... and to cut the fuel budgets by at least 20%.
I went to Sri Lanka several times in my childhood: I even met the US ambassador, on their heli-pad lawn.
The poverty there is palpable and extant. Our landrover was chased by children from teensie villages, as they crossed the field between our hairpin road bends, into the mountains. They wanted money and food.
Most of the arable land is covered in Tea plantations. The gardens cultivated by the people are literally in backyards, and they must grow for nutrition, so mostly root crops and bananas: carrots and potatoes in the highlands.
The country had a thriving tourist industry, which we partook from, and that would have been severely impacted by Covid. Imagine life to become grindingly hungry without that flow of tourists wanting to see elephants bathe, or be climbed on by monkeys, see the snake dance etc. Plus the country had a 'no-cash-leaves-the-country' policy, which forced my parents to buy (and smuggle) precious stones and ruby studded jewellery from peasants, when they left - This would have funded some people's budgets. Remember Ceylon is the Isle of precious stones - but I guess one cannot eat rubies and sapphires. This was long ago, mind you - prolly could not happen now.
This is all (malicious IMO) mismanagement. Our country is capable of self-sustainability, just doesn't pay for the people in power to encourage it.
Now everyone except the politburo are suffering.