Junta to control fuel price gap

By Admin 29 May 2023

DMG Newsroom
29 May 2023, Sittwe

The Arakan State military council said that the price of fuel will be thoroughly re-assessed to ensure that the people in Arakan State, which is affected by the recent cyclone, are not taken advantage of.

The differences of fuel prices between the filling stations and roadside petrol stalls will be meticulously examined to ensure that consumers are not swindled, a spokesperson and attorney-general of the Arakan State military council, U Hla Thein, wrote on his Facebook.

Fuel prices at licensed filling stations in Sittwe were K2,230 per litre for 95 Ron Octane and K2,120 for 92 Ron Octane. At roadside stalls, the price stood at around K2,500 per litre for 92 Ron Octane.

“The junta set the fuel price like this, so consumers will be satisfied. The price of fuel has increased to nearly K5,000 per litre following the recent storm. We sell fuel at regular prices,” said a filling station operator in Sittwe.

Roadside petrol stalls have to buy and sell fuel through intermediaries and also have to pay taxes, so the price is raised a little, according to roadside petrol stall owners.

“We buy fuel for K2,300 per liter and sell it for K2,500. If you don’t make that much profit, it's not worth it. Therefore, if we sell fuel, we make a small profit,” said a roadside petrol stall owner in Sittwe.

Local residents say that the military junta needs to take proper action to prevent fuel prices from rising, not just rhetoric, but hands-on action.

“Now we have to buy fuel from roadside petrol stalls at a slightly higher price, and we are also not comfortable. If the military junta strictly enforces fuel prices, there will be no price gap between licensed filling stations and roadside petrol stalls, and passengers will be happier,” said U Maung Ni, a three-wheeled motorbike driver in Sittwe.

The prices of fuel, construction materials and basic foodstuffs are skyrocketing in post-Cyclone Mocha Arakan State.