Premix dealers pledge co-operation with task force

Back page May 27/2008

Story: Charles Benoni Okine

THE Ghana Premix Fuel Dealers and Retailers Association (GPDRA) has pledged its commitment to work closely with the government’s task force to check the smuggling of premix fuel out of the country.
It has also resolved to block moves by recalcitrant dealers to hoard the product in order to create artificial shortages in the system only to resell the product above the reduced prices announced by the government.
The president of the association, Mr Philip P.T. Blessman, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that the move was intended to ensure the continuous availability of the product to fishermen in the country.
He said the prices of premix fuel in some neighbouring countries of Ghana were still high, and as such there was the temptation for some dealers to cash in on that situation to make extra money for themselves.
“This, we will do anything to resist and we call on the general public to be on the look out for any such moves and report accordingly for swift and prompt action”, he said.
Mr Blessman said the association appreciated the government’s concern, hence the reduction in the prices of premix fuel to ensure that the prices of fish became affordable on the market.
Following the escalating prices of crude oil and food on the international market, the government announced measures to mitigate the effect on the people by reducing the prices of some selected petroleum products.
From the previous price of 0.8348Ghp per litre of premix fuel, the product now sells at 0.7348 Ghp per litre.
Mr Blessman said the members of the association had been concerned about the increasing prices of the product, saying, “it never made fishermen comfortable because it always made their catch expensive”.
He said the association would make every effort to ensure that the product was available to the fishermen at the announced prices to enable them to get bumper harvest.
Mr Blessman also urged fishermen to do all they could to reciprocate the government’s gesture by ensuring that the reduced price in the fuel was seen in the prices of their catch.