YANGON: Long queues have once again appeared at petrol stations in Taungoo, Bago region. Residents report that gasoline prices on the black market have risen to around 10,000 kyat ($4.76) per liter.
Motorists were once again forced to queue for fuel, creating new difficulties after months of relatively uninterrupted fuel distribution, local residents said. When QR code fuel sales were first introduced in March and April, customers often had to queue for several hours to buy fuel.
However, for the past three months, fuel has been available with minimal waiting time, allowing motorists to purchase it more conveniently.
However, from around the third week of July, long queues returned as fuel shortages re-emerged, forcing customers to wait for hours to buy fuel. Currently, the price of a liter of petrol sold at petrol stations is only about 3,500 kyat, but the price per liter is around 9,500 kyat and 10,000 kyat, which Taungoo residents say makes it difficult to buy it even if necessary.
Regarding the increase in the price of a liter of petrol, a local resident said: “When petrol was sold on the street using the QR code system, we had to pay 12,000 to 13,000 kyat per liter of petrol. Later, the price gradually decreased and we could buy a liter for 5,000 kyat within a month or two. Now, about three days ago, the price increased again, saying that there is a shortage of petrol. We had to buy a liter for 9,500 kyat in the morning. The price on the street varies from place to place, and in some places it is sold for 10,000 kyat, given the rise in petrol prices, it is very inconvenient for us hired transporters and temporary workers,” said a resident who drives a school bus every day.
In March last year, a petrol station in Taungoo was able to sell fuel using a QR code system for between 15,000 and 20,000 kyat, but recently due to fuel shortages, petrol is only being sold for between 10,000 and 12,000 kyat when queues reopen. – Eleven Media/ANN