Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka said although the reduction has not reached the level initially expected, a considerable decline in fuel consumption has been achieved through the QR code-based fuel distribution system.Speaking to The Daily Morning, he said: “We have not seen a reduction in fuel consumption to the level we expected. However, there has been considerable decline. This also helped reduce the outflow of foreign exchange reserves to some extent, which is advantageous for our economy.”

On an earlier occasion, he said that there were currently no immediate plans to remove the QR code-based system, although the Government could consider increasing fuel quotas in the future. “The QR code-based system was initially introduced to prevent panic buying, unnecessary queues and excessive fuel consumption. Now we are in a position to carry out some level of assessment, but we still believe there should be some limitation on fuel consumption because fuel prices have increased significantly.”