Dumai suffers shortage of kerosene

Dumai, one of major towns in the province of Riau has suffered a shortage of kerosene due to alleged hoarding activities by the local traders to anticipate the increase in the fuel price next month.

The office of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in the Bengkalis regency said that a larger part of the kerosene supply in the town had been shipped to nearby islands in the province.

"Our team found that many of the kerosene stocks were shipped to nearby islands. It seems that the traders will hoard the fuel to benefit from the increase in the kerosene prices beginning next month," he said.

The government will raise fuel prices beginning April 1 in a bid to cut the subsidy in domestic fuel sales. But the sales of fuel such as kerosene, gasoline, diesel oil and kerosene, to public buses and poor people are exempt from the increase. (*)