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Published : 10 Mar 2026, 10:36 PM
The government has ruled out any energy price hike amid the Middle East conflict, which has triggered fears of shortages and sparked panic buying at filling stations nationwide.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit also reassured the public that Bangladesh faces no immediate shortage of energy or electricity.
He made the remarks on Tuesday at the Secretariat, saying despite the upward trend in the global market, the government is not currently considering a hike in energy or power prices.
The minister attributed the long queues at petrol pumps to "panic buying" and public anxiety rather than an actual deficit.
He noted that even though the government supplied two to three times the normal volume over five days last week, the rush at stations has not fully subsided.
"The pressure at the pumps is driven more by fear of a potential price hike than a genuine supply gap," he explained.
He emphasised that there is virtually no crisis regarding octane and petrol, as a significant portion of it is refined locally.
The country’s primary import dependency remains on diesel and furnace oil.
The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has implemented a rationing system for different vehicle types.
On Tuesday, the government increased the daily fuel limit for ride-sharing motorcycles from two litres to five litres.
Drivers must present a valid ID at stations to avail the increased limit.
The current rationing limits are 10 litres for private cars, 20–25 litres for SUVs and microbuses, 70–80 litres for pickups and local buses, and 200–220 litres for long-route buses and trucks.
The minister said 15,000 tonnes of fuel are scheduled to arrive every month from India.
Bangladesh is in talks with East Asian nations, including Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, as well as African countries, to secure alternative crude and refined oil sources, he said.
