Dear Editor,

Permit me to respond to an article in the Stabroek News, Tuesday,  January 20, captioned ‘Gas station owners allege kerosene discrimination.’

The article stated that the Alliance For Change has accused Guyoil of being discriminatory in its distribution of kerosene to gas station owners in Corentyne. This is far from the truth, and contrary to our distribution of kerosene in Corentyne where each dealer (Guyoil and private dealers) is sold 1000 gallons of kerosene per week and each fuel peddler is sold 1000 gallons kerosene per week giving a total volume of sales of 18,000 gallons per week. This is well above their normal business.

The total kerosene market in Corentyne does not exceed 12,000 gallons per week, yet if we are to sell without restriction we sell over 35,000 gallons per week. The reason for this is that some unscrupulous dealers and peddlers mix their diesel with kerosene and sell the product at the diesel price,  making huge profits and creating a shortage of kerosene. The kerosene is black-marketed at $1000 per gallon.

The mixing of diesel with kerosene has been confirmed by laboratory analyses of diesel samples carried out by the GEA.

The price of kerosene has been reduced to make it more affordable to poor consumers, and Guyoil’s recommended pump price of $477 per gallon is $222 per gallon cheaper than diesel.

Yours faithfully,
Badrie Persaud
Managing Director
The Guyana Oil Company Ltd