Summary
· Depot owners tell Makamba that there is no shortage of petroleum products, but have asked that foreign exchange be made readily available.
Dar es Salaam. Amid fears of fuel shortages in some remote rural
areas, owners of petroleum depots in Dar es Salaam have assured the government
that they have enough stocks.
They have, however, asked that the
availability of foreign exchange be improved.
That done, they said at the weekend,
they will conduct their activities with much ease.
This came up when Energy minister
January Makamba toured fuel depots in Dar es Salaam accompanied by petroleum
and gas commissioner Michael Mjinja and Energy and Water Services Regulatory
Authority (Ewura) director general James Andilile.
Depot owners assured the government
that there was no shortage of petroleum products in Tanzania, adding that fuel
was still being offloaded at the Dar es Salaam Port, ready for distribution to
various filling stations across the country.
They told Mr Makamba and his team
that they were currently working around the clock as they seek to rectify
distribution challenges, which Ewura recently said were to blame for shortages
reported in some remote areas.
Meru Petroleum general manager
Charles Maingu said during the past ten days they had released 28 million
litres of petroleum products from their depots and distributed the same locally
and in neighbouring countries where the company also operates.
The company will also receive 27
million litres of diesel and 40 million litres of petrol next month.
“If there is any place that is short
of petroleum products, let us know and we will deliver it there almost
immediately. We have enough stocks,” said Mr Maingu.
Earlier, Mr Makamba asked Mr Maingu
if they were facing any challenge in conducting business.
In response, Mr Maingu said they
were not getting enough US dollars.
“May I request that we be given
priority in the distribution of foreign exchange so we can pay for the
petroleum products that we have ordered from outside the country. This is the
only assistance we need from the government,” he said.
Other depot owners shared similar
sentiments during Mr Makamba’s tour.
At the Puma Energy depot, the firm’s
managing director, Ms Fatma Abdallah, said they have enough supplies of diesel
and petrol, but noted that they need the government to help them by ensuring
that they get enough US dollars.
“With enough forex, we will import
enough fuel. In the meantime, we have enough supplies of the products and there
is no reason to worry,” she said.
According to Ms Abdallah, they were
also experiencing a rise in demand of petrol and diesel, saying in July alone
so far, the company had sold over 36 million litres of the two products.
This, she said, was more than the 30
million litres of petrol and diesel that the company sold in the entire month
of July, 2022.
She, however, assured consumers that
a shortage of petroleum products in Tanzania was far-fetched.
“We expect to sell over 50 million
litres of petroleum products this month. We sell to large scale wholesalers. We
also sell on retail. Before the end of this month, we will have received 16
million litres of the product which will be offloaded soon from the port,” she
said.
Puma is the leading seller of
petroleum products in Tanzania, controlling about 14 percent of the market with
over 23 players, according to official figures from Ewura.
Ms Abdallah said in August, the
company will receive more than 60 million litres of petrol and diesel.
“I assure large-scale and
small-scale marketers alike that we have enough volumes of fuel in the country
and that we are working with the relevant government bodies to ensure that a
shortage doesn’t occur,” she said.
Lake Oil managing director
Abdulrahman Mohamed also raised the issue regarding the shortage of US dollars,
saying although they were selling petroleum products in the domestic market in
Tanzanian shillings, they bought fuel outside the country with dollars
“Non-availability of the US dollar has been inconveniencing our business,” he
said.
In response, Mr Makamba assured the
marketers that the government was aware of the challenge and was working to
resolve it.
“We have received the challenge and
fortunately, the government is already aware of it and has been working on it.
We will take this to our colleagues in the government because it touches on a
number of other areas,” he said.
Mr Makamba added that the government
was continuing to procure fuel to ensure that the people get it on time, saying
warehouses had been opened to provide services to vehicles that transport the
products.
Mr Bruno Tarimo, head of Ship
Management Unit of the Petroleum Bulk Procurement Agency (PBPA), said all ships
scheduled to bring in fuel this month had arrived and that the second ship was
now finishing the unloading exercise.
"There is no threat of fuel
shortage, we are going well even in the arrangement of the ships until they
bring the load next month," said Mr Tarimo.
Dar es Salaam Port director Mrisho
Mrisho said that the unloading activity was done every day, noting that there
was already a ship unloading petrol and diesel while giving Tanzanians hope
about the availability of the energy.
"In the future plans, we want
to improve various areas of the port, including the oil receiving area. Today
(Sunday) marks the third day that the ship has been unloading. By tomorrow it
will be done to allow entry of another one," said Mr Mrisho.
For his part, Mr Makamba said the
purpose of the visit was to find out the condition of the fuel in the
warehouses of the traders, along with the challenges faced by the traders.
Dr Andilile said that they had found
out that in six warehouses that there was an assurance of the energy and reason
why Tanzanians should not be worried because the procedures for transporting it
were underway.
"The owners of the warehouses
have assured us that they will arrive on time so the people should not be
afraid," he said.
In another step, Dr Andilile asked
small businesses and those with small diesel and petrol stations to enter into
a contract with large oil companies to easily obtain the product.
"It is important for the
stations to enter into a contract with oil importers, and we have agreed that
by July 31 everyone should have signed a contract at least with one big
importer.
The goal is to ensure that when they
order oil, they include them, instead of retailers doing their business just by
chance," he noted.
The Secretary of the Tanzania Petrol
Station Operators Association (Tapsoa), Mr Augustino Mmasi, said they have
taken up the matter, noting that it was very important in the implementation of
their duties.
Mr Mmasi said without doing so, they
would find themselves running out of fuel or waiting for a long time.
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