LPG sales boom as unrest fuels demand

Sales of LPG (liquified petroleum gas) witnessed a boom against the backdrop of the prolonged unrest affecting the country, taking advantage of the fact that prepaid and smart prepaid gas consumers are facing obstacles to recharging their balances, reports UNB.
According to sources in the LPG operators, following chaotic situation centering the student movement, initially the LPG sales were decreased as there was trouble in transportation of the gas.
But after the enforcement of curfew and blackout of the internet across the country, the gas consumers, who use prepaid and smart cards, failed to recharge their cards.
As a result, many gas consumers started using LPG on emergency basis as alternative arrangement to fuel their cooking ovens.
"This has pushed up the demands for LPG across the country and it witnessed huge sales," said a top official of a leading LPG operating company.
The use of LPG for household cooking has been growing fast in the country.
Currently the country consumes around 1.50 million metric tons of LPG annually, in a leap from around 650,000 MT during 2017.
The LPG market in Bangladesh started growing significantly after a government decision to suspend piped-gas connections to household consumers in 2009.
More than 20 LPG companies are operating in the country and Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) sets the price of LPG for every month.