Diesel price in Bangladesh still one of lowest in South Asia

If you find Bangladesh’s diesel price high, then you must see the prices of other South Asian nations.

After adjusting the diesel price upward by Tk 15 or over 23 percent a litre to Tk 80 on Wednesday night, people from all walks of lives were dumbfounded as if there was no reason to hike the price at the moment.

But still Bangladesh’s price is lower than all South Asian countries apart from two — Sri Lanka and Pakistan — where a litre of diesel is being sold at Rs 111 (equivalent to Tk 47.26) and Rs 142.62 (Tk 71.90) respectively.

In India, diesel is being sold at Rs 89.79 a litre, equivalent to Bangladeshi Tk 103.81. Diesel price is the highest in Bhutan among South Asia as the fuel is being sold at ngultrum 105.72, equivalent to over Tk 122 a litre.

Meanwhile, the average price of diesel around the world is $1.13 per litre, equivalent to nearly Tk 97.

However, fuel oil price differs from one country to another as richer countries usually have higher prices while poorer countries and the countries that produce oil have significantly lower prices. Relatively poorer countries provide subsidies to help their consumers cope with the high oil prices.