BERC panel proposes Tk 1,976 for 12kg LPG

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) technical evaluation committee on Thursday proposed raising the maximum retail price of a 12kg private LPG cylinder by Tk 139 to Tk 1,976 from Tk 1,837, citing higher import, operational and financing costs.

Presenting the proposals at a public hearing at the BIAM Foundation in Eskaton, Dhaka, Committee Chairman Md Didarul Alam also recommended raising autogas prices from Tk 84.62 to Tk 93.88 per litre. The proposed rates remain subject to BERC's final decision.

Following a supply-chain cost review, the panel proposed raising private operators' storage and bottling charges from Tk 16.74 to Tk 23.48 per kg.

Proposed distributor commissions would rise from Tk 4.17 to Tk 6.67 per kg, lifting 12kg cylinder earnings from Tk 50 to Tk 80, and retailer commissions from Tk 3.75 to Tk 5.83 per kg, or Tk 45 to Tk 70 per cylinder.

Md Didarul Alam said shifting from traditional Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian suppliers to the United States, which now supplies around 85 per cent of Bangladesh's LPG imports, lengthened shipping routes and pushed up freight costs amid increased spot purchases.

Private operators supply nearly 99 per cent of Bangladesh's 1.8-million-tonne annual LPG consumption, according to BERC estimates.

Source: The Business Standard