Algerians Consume Half A Billion Dollars Of Fuel In 90 Days

The import bill of fuel or energy products rose, in the first three months of this year, to $ 481 million, which is nearly half a billion dollars, or 31.42%, compared to the same period of last year.

This happens despite the measures that are taken by the government since the beginning of the current year to reduce fuel consumption, such as raising gasoline and diesel prices through the Finance Act of 2018, stopping the importation of cars, activating the gas car project, circulating the “Sirghaz” technology, while experts attributed the increase in fuel consumption to the growing share of the Algerian market of cars, due to “Made in Algeria” vehicles.

Foreign trade expert and head of the Export Consulting Association, Ismail Lalmas, said in a statement to Echorouk, that the increase in fuel importation is due mainly to the growing national car park despite the suspension of importation since 2017 due to the large number of vehicles that are manufactured in Algeria. It is being produced from the five installation plants that are active in the national market, and the truck factories are added to the other factories which will enter service soon, which prompts to wonder why the government does not oblige these factories to adopt the technology of “Sirghaz” or “GPL” despite the lifting of slogans to abandon fuel and gasoline and replace them with automotive gas.

“The increase in population density in recent years led to an increase in the demand for all products, not just gasoline and fuel, while the government policy lacks a mechanism to reduce the consumption of this energy, similar to its production locally through the reopening of closed refining units for years. Unless the refining process is carried out locally. Customs figures for the first three months of this year reveal that the import bill for energy products has increased to $ 481 million compared to $ 366 million, an increase of 31.42%”.

“The bill will rise by the end of the current year to $ 2 billion, if the import continues in the same shape, knowing that the decision to raise the price of gasoline and fuel did not affect the consumption, which remained high”.