Despite fuel price increase

Luc Magloire Mbarga

Fuel transporters pledge to maintain transportation prices
A closed door meeting with the minister of trade, in Yaounde Wednesday, brought together petroleum products suppliers, marketers, transporters and CSPH officials.
By Egbe James Etengeneng in Yaounde
Holding on the heels of the increase in prices of petroleum products at fuel stations, the meeting had as objective to identify the difficulties encountered by some actors in the petroleum supply chain and seek solutions to them.
    In fact, the meeting duelled essentially on the difficulties encountered in transporting petroleum products accross the country, with the minister of trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga, reminding transporters of the indispensible role they play in the petroleum supply chain.
    “Transporters are the lungs of the economy of the country, and that is why government cannot afford to leave them out in whatever action it takes,” remarked Luc Magloire Mbaraga, who noted that the president of the republic does not want the fuel price increase to negatively affect local enterprises and that is why he instructed that a concertation should be held with fuel transporters.

    In his intervention at the meeting, the president of road transport workers syndicate, Sime Pierre, noted that the transport sector was the most hit by the restructuring of petroleum prices. He therefore urged government to seek appropriate accompanying measures to cushion these nefarious effects. Sime Pierre suggested for example that government should not raise transport prices and prices of basic food stuffs, but rather that the government should completely suppress the axle tax and urge traders to respect existing prices in the market.
    Sime Pierre used the occasion to applaud government for the accompanying measures already taken. He expressed the hope that government would consider their request and completely eliminate axle tax.
    For his part, the general coordinator of the Bureau de Gestion de Frets Terrestre, EL Hadj Oumarou, reminded participants that the government had earlier authorized the CSPH to ensure that fuel transporters adher strictly to the price structure fixed for transportation of petroleum products accross the country. He said the prices were homologated in concert with marketers and transporters.
    Other issues tabled for discussion at the meeting included: Insurance for goods on transit, technical assistance to transporters, other compensatory measures to transporters etc.
    At the end of the concertations, a visibly satisfied Luc Magloire Mbarga assured participants that the proposals from the meeting would be transmitted to hierarchy for consideration.