Published on 03.29.2023 at 09:55 by Journal du Mali
Since June 1, 2022, gas has been sold at market price without the margin taken by the State. This has several consequences, including the dizzying rise in gas cylinder prices.
According to the Director General of the National Office of Petroleum Products (ONAP), Modibo Gourou Diall, the end of the State subsidy is justified by the financial difficulties of the State caused by the rise in the price of petroleum products on the international market itself caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine, which caused supply problems.
But for gas, the State had serious problems in keeping the cost of the subsidy whose arrears due to the professional gas group are estimated at more than 8 billion CFA francs, according to Oudiary Diawara, former president of the professional gas group. and managing director of a gas importing company.
According to a document dated March 20, the price of gas of 6 kg, among the most consumed, will go from 6360 to 8090 FCFA. With the state subsidy, this gas was sold at 2990 FCFA. This disengagement of the State, which aims to lighten its portfolio, generates an additional burden on households in this period of general surge in prices, the current rise of which is not without effects on other everyday consumer products. Gas was previously subsidized in Mali to protect the environment and prevent excessive cutting of wood and charcoal. A policy implemented under President ATT. According to data from the country’s gas operators, gas consumption in Mali is nearly 19,000 tonnes per year.
