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Belnaftakhim raises motor fuel prices again

The Belarusian State Petrochemical Industry Concern (Belnaftakhim) raised gasoline prices by three percent and diesel fuel by five percent on October 16.

In particular, 95 octane gasoline increased in retail price by 3.08 percent from 5,200 to 5,360 rubels per liter, 92 octane gasoline by 3.11 percent from 4,820 rubels to 4,970 rubels, and diesel fuel by 5.1 percent from 5,100 to 5,360 rubels.

The prices were raised for the purpose of improving the performance of the country’s two oil refineries and compensating them for a recent fall in the exchange rate of the Belarusian rubel at the additional session of the Belarusian Currency and Stock Exchange. The refineries have to buy foreign currency at the additional session for importing crude oil.

This is the ninth increase in motor fuel prices in the country since the beginning of the year.

The prices were raised by five percent on the average on March 3, 10 percent on March 31, and 20 percent on May 24.

After the prices were increased by 30 percent on the average on June 7, Alyaksandr Lukashenka directed that the most expensive motor fuel should be priced at no more than 4,500 rubels, and that the prices should be raised by two or three percent per three months “if necessary,” not by 30 percent at once.

As a result, on June 9, the prices were lowered by 13 to 22 percent, but they were raised by three percent on July 21, on August 20 and on September 14 and by five percent on October 1. //BelaPAN