Prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) will remain unchanged in the local market due to a very nominal change in the international rates, industry people have said.
The state-run Saudi Aramco has increased its March contract price for propane to $ 500 a tonne, up by $50 from the February level, according to the Oil Peak report.
Butane prices for March 2015 were set at $460 a tonne, down by $20 from the February level of $ 480.
The prices provide a benchmark against which Middle East sales of LPG to Asia are priced.
"The price of propane has increased by only US$ 50 per tonne and butane price dropped by US$ 20 per tonne," said Md Jakaria Jalal, sales manager at Industrial and Autogas, Petredec Elpiji Ltd while talking to the FE.
"It's a very nominal change for the contract price for March. So we have decided not to increase the price of it this month," he said.
The current plant-gate price of 12kg Kleenheat or Petragaz LPG cylinder is Tk 1,150. The price for the Bashundhara Gas is Tk 1,250, Total Gaz Tk 1,180 and Jamuna Gas Tk 1,157.
Bodiul Alam, an LPG distributor of Doyaganj, said: "All of the LPG companies did not revise the prices of LPG cylinders for this month and the prices are same as was in the previous month.
"We are selling LPG cylinders of different companies at Tk 1,300-Tk 1,350 each at the consumer level. The prices are higher by around Tk 100 to Tk 150 than the plant-gate rates," Mr Alam said.
LPG is a combination of butane and propane at the ratio of 70:30. The annual consumption of LPG in Bangladesh is estimated at 100,000 tonnes.
LPG is mainly imported from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and China.
About 80 per cent of the demand is met with imports while Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) meets the remaining 20 per cent demand.
ironlady_007@yahoo.com
