Violation of Petroleum Distribution and Trading System

The Minister of Supply and Home Trade confirmed the necessity of issuing decree by the military governor criminalizing and intensifying punishment on those who violates the petroleum materials distribution and trading system, as well as controlling the market. He said that production and distribution of the petroleum material exceeds the local consumption demands, and all materials are doubled, and controlling system will be set on the benzene and solar trading and distribution over two days. The Minister stated that the crisis aims at achieving destabilization to stop the revolution aims, and members of the resolved National Democratic Party and the old regime are behind the crisis to achieve their personal interests, adding that Egypt is facing great pressure from friends before enemies, but supervision is currently carried on benzene and solar shipment once getting out from stores.

The Minister of Petroleum said that 47 million liter of solar is pushed daily; an increase of 17%, and 21 million liter of benzene; an increase of 20% of the targeted quantities. He went on to say that the pushed quantities exceed the daily local consumption, and additional quantities were pushed in Greater Cairo amounting to 4000 tons, and additional solar quantities were imported from outside reaching 70,000 tons of solar. The Minister stressed that the petroleum productions are more than enough but the crisis is briefed in distribution and trading, but procedures are currently taken to face such crisis. He clarified that the General Petroleum Authority is preparing agencies to supervise the benzene and solar shipments until reaching stations. The crisis resolution needs cooperation from people, trust in the government, and stop listening to rumors which aims at achieving crowd before stations. The Minister confirmed that the government is keen on clarifying the crisis factories, and taking procedures to achieve people’s interest in this concern. He added that the Prime Minister will hold meeting tomorrow to discuss such issue and taking the required procedures to speed its resolution. The crisis was raised before in last January during the visit of the IMF mission, and the current solar crisis related to the wheat harvest.

The assistant interior minister is working in cooperation with all agencies to regain discipline in street, and supervising the petroleum materials shipment until reaching stations, and yesterday 37157 liter were seized to be sold in the black markets, 21096 hundred refrained from selling, 156160 liter discharged, and 104400 liter as high prices, along to gas cylinders smuggling.