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Joint Secretary of the Energy Division, Monir Hossain Chowdhury, has stated that there will be no fuel problem in the next two months. He announced that the country currently holds reserves of 101,385 metric tons of diesel, 31,821 metric tons of octane, 18,211 metric tons of petrol, and 77,546 metric tons of jet fuel.
He provided this information during a briefing on energy at the Secretariat on Wednesday (April 15) afternoon.
The spokesperson for the Energy Division mentioned that fuel prices are adjusted every month, and this was done in April as well. The price for the next month will be decided based on the prevailing situation.
He further added that the problem of excessive crowds at petrol pumps is confined to Dhaka and not observed outside the capital. However, he urged that there is no need for panic buying. The same quantity of oil supplied to petrol pumps at this time last year is also being supplied this year, with no reduction in supply. Therefore, there should be no problem.
The spokesperson for the Energy Division also stated that there is no shortage of diesel for industrial factories, ensuring there are no impediments in this regard. Fuel is being supplied according to demand, based on pre-approved lists. Furthermore, approval has been granted for the private sector to import 1.4 million metric tons of fuel.
He noted that while the government could not import crude oil in March and April, crude oil is expected to arrive from Saudi Arabia via a different route at the beginning of April or May.
He also highlighted that Eastern Refinery processes 1.5 million metric tons of fuel annually, which accounts for one-fifth of the total national fuel demand.