Sri Lanka is facing a shortage of diesel as the foreign exchange crisis worsens in the South Asian country, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said on Thursday.

The minister told parliament that the country needed 4,000 metric tonnes of diesel daily.

The state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is currently releasing only 1,000 to 1,500 metric tonnes per day.

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There is no shortage of petrol supply in the country, however, according to the official.

He said that about 3,000 metric tonnes of petrol were being released on daily basis, adding that a ship carrying 40,000 metric tonnes of petrol arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday night.

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Sri Lanka has been suffering a diesel shortage since February, This led to hours of a daily power cut.

Finance Minister Ali Sabry said on Wednesday that Sri Lanka only had less than 50 million U.S. dollars in usable foreign reserves.