Escalating fuel crisis | Regime government raises fuel price
The Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection has issued a new price for diesel and petrol sold for economic activities, setting the price of new diesel at 5,400 SYP per litre and 4,900 per litre of petrol at the same price which was sold on the black market weeks before the fuel crisis worsened.
The new pricing has met with widespread outrage as the fuel crisis has worsened for weeks, while the new decision raises production costs at facilities, thus rising prices for civilians.
Petrol and diesel prices continue to rise, with a litre of petrol sold for 15,000 SYP and diesel for 9,500 SYP.
SOHR sources have reported that public transportation has been halted because of the increasing prices and acute shortage of fuels, mainly petrol and diesel; this, in turn, has paralysed the daily activity across regime-controlled areas. Meanwhile, drivers have chosen to keep the amounts of fuel remaining in their cars in light of the rapid increase in fuel prices.
Meanwhile, work in governmental institutions and universities has been suspended as workers and employees have failed to reach their workplaces, while students have been absent for days.
On the other hand, prices of most goods in all markets have risen, especially those goods transported from one province to another. The current fuel prices are as follows:
Petrol: 11,000 up to 14,000 SYP per litre.
Diesel: 8,000 up to 9,000 SYP per litre.
Gas cylinder: A 21-kilogram gas cylinder is sold for 115,000 SYP, while a 28-kilogram gas cylinder is sold for 220,000 SYP.
According to those prices, the monthly salary of a government employee equals eight litres of petrol, 15 litres of diesel or half of a gas cylinder.
In this context, the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection has announced that the stolen Syrian oil products deprive beneficiaries from their allocations and provide illegal profits to merchants trading in stolen fuels.
On December 2, SOHR sources reported that ration hours of electricity has risen to 22 hours a day in light of the acute shortage of fuels in regime-controlled areas. As a result, the prices of fuel increased to unprecedented levels, where a litre of diesel was sold for 8,000 SYP, while the price of petrol reached 11,000 SYP a litre. The stifling crisis coincided with escalating suffering of civilians because of the cold weather and lack of bread.
The minister of supply and interior trade has announced that “the fuels, which are sold on black markets for very high prices, have been already stolen after the ministry had secured them at subsidised prices.”
In mid November, SOHR published a report which reads “the phenomenon of selling diesel allowances, which are distributed via smart cards “Takamol” at state-subsidised prices, has become rampant among civilians. According to SOHR sources, many families sell their allowances to secure money, especially since text messages informing them of the delivery of fuel allowances at petrol stations, in order to receive their allocations of fuel, have been delayed.
It is worth noting that the prices of food and basic products across Syria have increased greatly, which reflects the alarming spiralling economic crisis in all zones of influence which is manifested in the growing rate of poverty and poor purchasing power.
According to SOHR sources, the price of a barrel of diesel has exceeded 1,400,000 SYP, while the price of a ton of fire logs exceeded 1,100,000 SYP. Also, the price of a ton of Pyrene (leftovers of olive pressers) has approximated 1,250,000 SYP.
A wood-burner stove needs two tons of heating materials, such as fire logs and Pyrene, every year; this costs 2,500,000 SYP, which exceeds the salary of a governmental employee for over a year, where the average of salaries of an employee in regime-controlled areas reaches 200,000 SYP.
Diesel, which is subsidised by the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, is sold for 2,500 SYP per litre, while on markets, a litre of diesel is sold for 6,000 SYP.”