Reducing diesel price by just Tk 1.25 was challenging: Adviser

Interim government's power, energy, and mineral resources adviser, Fouzul Kabir Khan, said that it was extremely challenging for the government to reduce the price of diesel by just Tk 1.25 per litre. 

The prices of petrol and octane were also reduced by Tk 6 per liter on the same day.

He made these remarks while speaking to reporters during a visit to the Rupsa 800 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant project under construction at Khalishpur in Khulna on Saturday, August 31.

Fouzul Kabir Khan explained, "You know that most of the fuel we use here is diesel, and most of the vehicles run on diesel. Then there's octane, followed by petrol. We are reducing the price of diesel by Tk 1.25 per liter, from Tk 106.75 to Tk 105.50. The price of octane has been lowered to Tk 125 per liter from Tk 131, a reduction of Tk 6. Petrol prices have also been reduced by Tk 6, from Tk 127 to Tk 121."

Addressing the difference in price reduction between octane/petrol and diesel, the adviser said, "You might say that octane and petrol are used by wealthier individuals, and their price has been reduced by Tk 6. The reason for this is that their consumption is very low, so the impact of the reduction is minimal.” 

Fouzul said reducing the price of diesel by even Tk 1.25 was extremely difficult. “We will continue to strive for more. If fuel prices remain stable in the future, we may be able to further lower prices by improving procurement efficiency. Currently, there is a set procurement price that I cannot alter due to existing contracts. We've done our best for now, and we'll try to reduce it further in the future."

The adviser also mentioned that the new fuel prices would take effect from midnight on Saturday.