EWURA ANNOUNCES SLIGHT DROP IN PETROL PRICE

MOTORISTS in Tanzania will pay 3/- less for a litre of petrol effective today while pump prices for diesel and kerosene have increased by 12/- and 7/-, respectively, for the same quantity, according to monthly indicative prices announced by the industry regulator, yesterday.

The Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) attributed the changes to variations in prices of petroleum products in the world market, changes in Bulk Procurement System (BPS) and annual inflationary adjustments.

A litre of petrol will now sell at 2,057/- in Dar es Salaam down from 2,060/- whilst the same quantity of diesel and kerosene will be sold at 1,925/- and 1,858/-, correspondingly, from 1,913/- and 1,852/-.

EWURA’s Communication and Public Relations Manager, Mr Titus Kaguo, told a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the authority’s Board of Directors had approved a profit margin of 116/- and 101/- per litre to wholesalers and retailers, respectively, to cushion them against inflation. Mr Kaguo noted on the other hand that the authority was considering using Mtwara Port to import petroleum products as it is the case with Dar es Salaam and Tanga ports.

“There was no new consignment of oil received through Tanga Port during the month of March, however, there are slight changes in prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene due to an increase on oil traders’ margins on account of annual inflation adjustments,” Mr Kaguo explained. He thus noted that pump prices for a litre of petrol, diesel and kerosene have increased by 7/-, whereas wholesale prices for the products have shot-up by 3.68/- per litre for the first two products and 4.32/- for the latter.

Oil prices in Tanzania are released every month by EWURA in line with Section 166 of the Petroleum Act of 2015. Oil marketing companies are free to sell their products at prices which give them competitive advantage provided that the prices do not exceed the price cap.

Given the new cap prices, a litre of petrol will be sold at 2,141/- in Arusha while diesel and kerosene will attract 2,009/- and 1,942/-, respectively. In Kigoma, a litre of petrol will fetch 2,288/- while diesel and kerosene will be capped at 2,156/- and 2,089/-, accordingly.

Source: DailyNews