Fuel crisis: Extra demand couldn’t be controlled, queues didn’t shorten

The government is supplying slightly more octane than the usual market demand. However, motorcyclists and car drivers are still forming long queues in front of filling stations just to buy octane. In many cases, people are even seen waiting overnight in line to collect fuel.

Relevant stakeholders say that the panic buying triggered by fears of supply disruption due to the war in the Middle East could not be contained. As a result, an unusually high surge in demand has been created, which is difficult to meet. They emphasise the need for a modern, technology-based management system that would maintain a database of who is purchasing how much fuel and when. This could help prevent unnecessary purchases and hoarding.

The government is moving in that direction. State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Iqbal Hasan Mahmud told Prothom Alo on Tuesday that many people are buying extra fuel due to a tendency to stockpile.

The introduction of fuel cards at the district level has reduced congestion, and an automated system will soon be introduced in Dhaka as well. In addition, fuel supply to filling stations is being increased by 10 per cent.

The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on 28 February, triggering panic buying in March. At that time, the government began supplying fuel to filling stations based on the previous year’s supply levels.

According to sources at the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), compared to the same month last year, average daily diesel supply dropped by 10 per cent and petrol supply by 15 per cent in March. However, octane supply increased by 2 per cent, with an average of 29 tons more octane sold daily.

In March, average daily petrol sales stood at 1,271 tons, while in April it was 1,270 tons. Average daily octane sales were 1,222 tons in March, but slightly decreased to 1,114 tons per day in April. Supply may increase further next week.

Industry insiders say there is no risk of shortage of petrol and octane, so supply could be increased further. At the same time, prices of petrol and octane should be adjusted in line with the global market. There is currently no database for fuel sales at petrol pumps, and no records are kept of how much fuel each buyer purchases, making it difficult to prevent excessive buying.

A manager of a petrol pump in Uttara, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he receives 18,000 liters of octane per day. If sales begin at 3:00 pm, the stock is exhausted by 7:00 pm.

Previously, this volume could not be sold even in an entire day. He said he cannot understand where so much fuel is going, though he identified several motorcyclists who had been purchasing fuel continuously for three days.

A manager of a pump in the Mohammadpur area said such high demand would not exist unless fuel was being resold outside.

According to BPC data as of 6 April, the country has 132,228 tons of diesel, 16,030 tons of petrol, and 10,526 tons of octane in stock. Petrol is produced entirely domestically, while 50 per cent of octane demand is met through imports.

A ship carrying 25,000 tons of octane is expected to arrive tonight (Wednesday), although it was originally scheduled for 6 April but was slightly delayed. Several diesel shipments are also expected this month.

Officials of oil companies say that before the war, a pump would receive fuel once a week, whereas now they are receiving supplies all seven days.

However, petrol pump owners have raised complaints, saying some pumps are receiving more fuel while others are getting less.

Managing Director of Padma Oil Company, Md Mofizur Rahman, told Prothom Alo that the company has data on how much fuel each pump received last year, and current supply is being determined based on that demand. He said there is no scope for discrimination.

Meanwhile, local district administrations across the country have adopted different measures. Some districts have introduced fuel cards to control crowds. Sri Lanka’s model—using QR codes to regulate fuel sales—could offer a solution to manage congestion at filling stations.

Energy expert M Tamim said that unless the war ends, public anxiety will persist, and the tendency to buy extra fuel will continue. However, proper rationing and automated fuel distribution systems could help ease the crisis. Introducing a QR code-based system could effectively control excess purchasing.