DAPPMA blames kerosene scarcity on forex scarcity

THE Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) has blamed scarcity of Household Kerosene (HHK) otherwise called kerosene on non availability of foreign exchange.

Speaking with Tribune Online on Wednesday, the Executive Secretary, DAPPMA, Femi Adewole, stated that “There is shortage of foreign exchange for marketers to import the petroleum products and kerosene is usually scarce and expensive during winter period abroad. The winter period also contributed to the challenge because prices of petroleum products usually rise during this period including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) otherwise called cooking gas.

“There is higher demand for petroleum products outside the country than in Nigeria. It is well known in the international market that during winter that there are more concentration on some particular products and it is usually very expensive to import such products.”

Adewole urged the Federal Government to make available foreign exchange to marketers to enable them import and increase supply.

The Group General Manager (GGM), Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Ndu Ughamadu, stated that “you will observe that consumption of kerosene is higher than aviation fuel. NNPC, as the last supplier of petroleum products nationwide, have been importing these products including petrol, kerosene, diesel, aviation fuel, from its own resources. NNPC isn’t Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), we are also marketers. We sourced for our foreign exchange to import products.”

He however assured that the scarcity will be over when marketers begin to import to complement whatever NNPC is doing.