Prime Minister's Information and Broadcasting Advisor Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman spoke at a press briefing organized at the conference room of the Directorate of Information on Tuesday morning. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Apr 21, 2026 (BSS) – Mentioning that there is no major shortage of fuel in the country, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Zahed Ur Rahman today said the current market instability is largely driven by panic buying and illegal stockpiling by some unscrupulous traders.

He urged all concerned to refrain from panic buying, noting that such behaviour is creating artificial pressure on the fuel market despite sufficient national reserves of fuel.

Adviser Zahed made the remarks at a press briefing held in the conference room of the Press Information Department (PID) here this morning.

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yeaser Khan Chowdhury and Principal Information Officer Yeakub Ali were also present at the briefing.

Zahed Ur Rahman said the country’s fuel supply chain remains stable, with regular shipments of imported fuel arriving. However, he noted that demand has risen unusually due to panic buying, putting temporary pressure on distribution channels.

He also presented comparative data showing increased fuel distribution at several filling stations in Dhaka in April compared to the same period last year.

According to the data, fuel stations at PWD Sports Club (Asad Gate), Tejgaon, and Paribagh have recorded significantly higher distribution in the first 19 days of April this year than in the entire month of April last year.

About the current stock position, the adviser said that as of April 19, 2026, the country maintains adequate fuel reserves.

The current stock position is: diesel 122,633 metric tonnes, octane 27,602 metric tonnes, petrol 184,054 metric tonnes, and jet fuel 21,382 metric tonnes.

“There is no major disruption in supply. The situation is stable, but demand has increased significantly,” he said.

To manage the rising demand, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has been directed to increase supply, resulting in a 10 per cent rise in diesel and petrol distribution and a 20 per cent increase in octane supply, he added.

The adviser further informed that 53 mobile court drives have been conducted to prevent illegal fuel stockpiling. The drives led to 47 cases, fines amounting to over Tk 1.72 crore, and the imprisonment of 10 individuals.

During these operations, a total of 562,821 litres of fuel were recovered, including diesel, petrol, octane, and furnace oil, he said.

He said the government has expanded the pilot phase of the “Fuel Pass BD” app to ensure a more disciplined fuel distribution system. Motorcyclists across all divisional and major district cities are now eligible to register.

So far, more than 170,000 users have registered under the system. However, fuel withdrawal through the app remains limited to 18 designated filling stations in Dhaka.

The adviser said the government is working to protect both consumers and transport operators in terms of public transport fares, while also ensuring that fare adjustments do not negatively impact essential commodity prices.

He also highlighted several ongoing initiatives, including the launch of a modern Air Traffic Management Centre at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport aimed at strengthening regional airspace coordination.

Other initiatives include continued operations to protect the Sundarbans, installation of Wi-Fi hotspots in haor and remote areas, waste-to-energy projects, expanded vaccination programmes, and efforts to reopen the Malaysian labour market.