Diesel price is lower here than neighbouring countries: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Friday said diesel price in the country is lower than that in neighbouring countries and there is no reason to get confused.

“On this context, there is no scope for increasing the prices of other products in the country,” he said while exchanging views with journalists at his Minto road residence in Dhaka this evening, BSS reports.

Hasan, also the Awami League joint general secretary, said vested quarters are spreading misleading information due to the recent diesel price hike in the country.

But, in fact, the price of diesel in the country was Taka 68 per litre in 2013 and later in 2016, it reduced to Taka 65 per litre, he said.

In the last five and a half years, the price of diesel and kerosene did not increase in the country, he added.

Hasan said Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) was incurring a huge loss in diesel due to the increase in fuel price in the international market since the beginning of the current fiscal.

Presenting the data of fuel prices, he said the BPC provided subsidy of Taka 2.97 in diesel per litre in June this year, while Taka 3.7 in diesel per litre in July, Taka 1.58 per litre in August, Taka 5.62 per litre in September and Taka 13.01 per litre in October last.

In the last five and a half months, the BPC provided subsidy of Tk 1,147.6 crore in diesel, the information minister said.