(UTV|COLOMBO) – Local Liquefied Petroleum gas (LP) gas suppliers told the Sate-owned Daily News yesterday that supplies of LP gas have now increased, ending disruption and scarcity in most parts of the country and that stocks have been secured for the next three months.
“At present we are supplying 500 metric tonnes additionally on a daily basis due to the panic buying,” Laugfs Holdings Chairman W.K.H Wegapitiya said. “We have already received additional supplies yesterday but we are anticipating our biggest stock of 22000 MT on November 11,” he said.
Wegapitiya said the company had restored its usual supplies starting this week and assured consumers that the company has enough stocks to last until December. He said excessive demand from consumers in the wake of a perceived shortage has further aggravated the situation resulting in the scarcity. “Unfortunately this happened at a time when the country is about to face an election.But the shortage has no hidden political hand,” he said.
Litro Gas Managing Director Muditha Peiris said the company had replenished its stocks of LP gas and attributed the scarcity to the attack on Saudi Aramco oil facilities, the attack on the Iranian oil tanker and bad weather conditions around the country.
“We received 3700 MT on Sunday, 3800 MT on Monday and expect to have another large shipment on November 12,” he said. “We have released 80,000 cylinders to the market on Monday, 140,000 on Sunday and 100,000 yesterday. We believe this will be sufficient to replenish the stocks.”
Peiris said the price reduction of LP gas had prompted additional purchases as firewood and kerosene consumers shifted to LP gas due to the price reduction. He also attributed the acute shortage to global incidents that triggered a slowing down of LP gas supply to countries in South Asia and also to bad weather conditions. He refuted claims that there was a hidden political hand in creating this shortage.
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