CNI News
28 Sept 2022
Members of the Myanmar Highway Freight Transportation Services Association has called for the distribution of Russian fuel oil at stable prices for a certain period of time.
Maj Gen Zaw Min Tun, the leader of the information team of the SAC, said that fuel oil imported from Russia would mainly be distributed to freight and passenger transportation services and railway enterprises.
Chairman U Kyin Thein of the MHFTSA told the CNI that fuel prices fluctuated wildly on a daily basis and his association called for distribution of fuel oil at stable prices for a certain period of time, adding that such a move could lower commodity prices.
Maj Gen Zaw Min Tun. (AFP)
He said, “If fuel prices drop, it will be beneficial for transportation services. At present, all service fees we receive have to spend on fuel and we are not able to enjoy the benefits from our services. As fuel prices have risen on a daily basis, we cannot enjoy the benefits of our services and are having a hard time. Moreover, transportation services are undergoing a difficult situation at the moment with various challenges. If the government can subsidize fuel for transportation services, commodity prices will fall, I think.”
At present, transportation services are facing difficulties in setting service fees due to fluctuating fuel prices while suffering losses when fuel prices rose dramatically.
Moreover, regions and states that are remote from the Thilawa Terminal, from which fuel is mainly distributed to the entire country, received lower fuel rations, according to filling stations.
Therefore, fuel imported from Russia should also be rationed to all licensed filling stations as much as they can store, a filling station owner in Taungup Township in Rakhine State told the CNI.
A tank truck carrying fuel oil. (GETTY IMAGES)
He said, “We have to buy fuel from the company by applying for permission and waiting for a certain time. It takes two days to submit the application and another one day to receive the approval. It takes altogether seven days to get fuel but we are allowed to buy only a little fuel or about 3,640 or 2,189 litres. There is a large gap between the demand and the supply of our filling station. Ours is a licensed filling station. Licensed stations are classified as A, B and C depending on their storage capacities. So, imported fuel from Russia should also be distributed to licensed filling stations based on their storage capacities. At present, we are forced to buy fuel indirectly through the company.”
Maj Gen Zaw Min Tun said at the 20th press conference on 20 September, 2022 that Myanmar was importing fuel from Russia and the imported fuel would arrive in Myanmar soon but he did not elaborate on the exact date the fuel will arrive.
