スリランカ、ターメリック輸入規制　債務不履行回避のため

【コロンボＡＦＰ＝時事】スリランカ政府が、外貨流出防止目的で輸入を禁止したことから、カレーに不可欠なスパイス、ターメリック（ウコン）の供給が滞り、市民から怒りの声が上がっている。（写真はスリランカの主要都市コロンボの倉庫で、密輸されたターメリック（ウコン）を調べる税関職員ら）
　スリランカでは、新型コロナウイルスのパンデミック（世界的な大流行）が観光業を直撃し、外貨の流入が止まった。政府は今年中に４５億ドル（約４８００億円）の対外債務を返済しなければならず、昨年３月に多数の品目について輸入規制を実施した。
　自動車、床用タイル、機械部品などが対象だが、市民の怒りを最も買ったのはターメリックだった。
　ターメリックはカレーのみならずスリランカ料理には欠かせない食材で、健康サプリメントとしての需要も高まっている。スリランカのターメリックの年間消費量は７５００トンだが、国内生産はそのわずか５分の１にとどまっている。
　新型コロナの流行以来、ターメリックの価格は１キロ当たり９０００スリランカ・ルピー（約４９００円）と２０倍に値上がりした。これは、スリランカの、大半の労働者の１週間分の賃金に相当する。
　ある医療従事者は、パンデミック以降、自宅で作るカレーが変わってしまったと話す。「ターメリックがこんな大問題になるなんて、考えもしなかった。当たり前のものだと思っていた。今ではターメリックを毎日の料理に使うこともできない」と話した。
　税関当局は、インドから「タマネギ」と書かれたコンテナに入れられたターメリック２５トンを押収した。海軍もインド人の漁師から数トンのターメリックを押収している。
　当局は、ターメリックが市場にあふれ、価格が下落するのを防ぐためだと説明している。一方、ターメリックを手に入れたい市民は、押収したターメリックを当局が焼却処分するのを、どうすることもできずに見つめるだけだ。
　スリランカ政府は、数十万におよぶ失業者に職を提供するため、安価な輸入品に頼るのではなく、地元でのターメリック生産に力を入れたいと考えている。スリランカの昨年の経済成長率は史上最低のマイナス３．９％になる見通しだ。
　当初３か月の予定だった輸入規制は、少なくとも今年中は継続することになった。
　米国に次いでスリランカの最大輸出先である欧州連合（ＥＵ）は、スリランカの輸入規制を世界貿易機関（ＷＴＯ）に報告する可能性もあるとしている。しかし、スリランカ中央銀行の経済研究部門責任者は１２日、債務不履行に陥るよりも、貿易上の報復措置を受けるリスクを取る方がましだと指摘した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/02/17-14:39）

An import ban in cash-strapped Sri Lanka is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of its curry lovers, depriving them of vital turmeric supplies and encouraging budding smugglers to take their chances with the spice.
With no foreign cash coming in as Covid-19 cripples the tourism industry, the government in March imposed a ban on many imports to stop money leaving the country, so that it can pay $4.5 billion this year to service its international debt.
Cars, floor tiles and machinery parts are among the items prohibited but it is a ban on turmeric that has the Indian Ocean island simmering with anger.
The aromatic root is a vital ingredient in curries and other local cuisine and also increasingly sought after as a health supplement.
But only a fifth of the 7,500 tonnes Sri Lanka consumes every year is produced locally.
Since the pandemic, demand has increased so much that prices have shot up 20-fold to an eye-watering 9,000 rupees ($48) a kilogramme -- a week's wages for many Sri Lankan workers.
Our home-cooked curries are not the same since the pandemic, said health worker Prarthana Weerasinghe, who claimed that many market varieties were now adulterated.
We never thought turmeric would be such a big issue. We had taken it for granted. Now, we can't afford to use it in our daily cooking.
Customs agents recently found 25 tonnes of the spice smuggled into the country from India in containers marked onions, while navy patrols have seized several tonnes from Indian fishermen.
Those seeking turmeric have watched on helplessly as officials burn seized turmeric at crematoriums, claiming they do not want to flood the market and depress prices.
The government says it wants to promote local production over cheap imports as hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs and the economy recorded its worst-ever contraction of 3.9 percent last year.
- On the skids -
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's ban on non-essential items has also seen a surge in prices for other goods, including car tyres, floor tiles and even toilets.
There are no foreign brand tyres available for small cars, a dealer in Colombo said. Those who have stocks have jacked up prices.
Kasun Chaminda said he had lost regular customers for his taxi operation because he could not buy new tyres.
When they realised that I was unable to replace the worn tyres, they cancelled the (regular) hire. It is dangerous to run with worn tires, but I have no choice.
With no foreign competition, the share prices of local tile and sanitaryware makers have soared five-fold in less than six months -- making the tiny Colombo stock exchange a star performer during an economic crisis.
And with banks prevented from releasing dollars to finance car imports since March, the second-hand car market has also shot up, with the price of used vehicles almost doubling.
Locally assembled cars, which are generally shunned as being of lower quality, are also suddenly sought after.
There are still those seeking foreign rides on the sly -- customs seized 12 smuggled cars hidden in containers last month -- the forged documents said the containers were for a diplomatic mission.
- EU warning -
And it looks like things will not get better any time soon.
The initial three-month halt has now been extended until at least the end of 2021, and Sri Lanka's trading partners are warning of possible retaliation.
The European Union, Colombo's second-largest export market after the United States, said it could report the country to the World Trade Organisation.
But the Central Bank's economic research chief Chandranath Amarasekara told reporters Friday that it was better to risk trade retaliation than lose foreign exchange to finance imports and having to default on debt repayments.
Central Bank Governor W. D. Lakshman said the government was in talks with undisclosed foreign sources to raise between $4 billion and $5 billion needed for debt repayments this year.
The import ban led to a 20 percent fall in imports in the first 11 months of last year, but they have eased Sri Lanka's currency crunch and steadied the rupee, which tumbled against the dollar last year as reserves dwindled.
However, economic analyst W. A. Wijewardena said the arbitrary import ban could retard growth and spawn corruption.
He told AFP it was draconian, and anti-poor because it is they who have to go without.
It is not desirable to continue the ban for long, Wijewardena said.
For health worker Weerasinghe, sick to her stomach of adulterated turmeric on the market: It is better to cook without.