GOVERNMENT MAINTAINS 100% FUEL SUBSIDY

FINANCE Minister Thomas Opa has confirmed that the Marape-Rosso Government remains fully committed to shielding Papua New Guineans from global fuel price shocks and the Government will continue to meet 100% of the fuel subsidy for the people and businesses.

As a result, consumers will continue to pay K4.44 per litre for diesel at the bowser, emphaising that this intervention ensures that the burden of rising international fuel prices is not passed directly to households, transport operators, and small and large businesses.

Minister Opa said in a recent statement that withthout this subsidy, the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission’s May price would have been K8.40 per litre. This intervention ensures that the burden

Acknowledging fuel supply disruptions experienced in recent days, he explained that these shortages were caused by actions of the four bulk fuel importers, led by Puma Energy, to press the Government to maintain its subsidy obligations in which the Government has acted decisively to resolve the matter.

Minister Opa further stated that in April, the National Government paid K247 million to the importers. For May, the government will pay K380 million based on submitted invoices from the four importers. In total, the Marape-Rosso Government has approved K1 billion in fuel subsidies to cushion our people and businesses against price spikes caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East—an external event over which Papua New Guinea has no control.

He said the Marape-Rosso Government is the only administration that has put in place and fully funded this level of support to stabilize fuel prices for the nation. No government in the past has delivered this scale of intervention.

“I expect fuel supply to return to normal in the coming days as payments are processed and distribution resumes.

The Government will continue to monitor the global oil market and take necessary steps to protect the cost of living and the cost of doing business in Papua New Guinea,” he stated.