BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) on Thursday announced hiking price of liquefied petroleum gas by 5.79 % effective, Friday, April 16, 2021.
This means the gas price will be pegged at MK2,065.00 per kilogram from MK1,952.00 per kilogram last month.
MERA disclosed this as it reviewed the petroleum products prices for April.
The prices for other products such as Petrol, Diesel, Paraffin and Jet fuel have however been maintained.
MERA’s Consumer Affairs and Public Relations Manager Fitina Khonje attributed the hiking of gas price to depreciation of Malawi kwacha to South African Rand, as well as the rising landing cost of of the gas.
The upward adjustment comes at a time people are encouraged to use gas for cooking.
The development also comes just a month after the regulator announced a rise in electricity tariffs.
Khonje has added that an a 7% increase in Petrol’s 7% landing cost qualified for a possible price hike, but the authority decided to cushion it using the price stabilization fund.
This means Petrol price remains at MK899.20, Diesel K898.00 and Paraffin at MK719.60.
Jet fuel remains at MK721.25 and K667.82 for Kamuzu International Airport and Chileka international airport respectively.
The development comes as the general public are demanding President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse government to remove punitive taxes on basic needs commodities including cooking oil, soap, water, electricity, credit data and among others
