Butane Prices to Go Up, But Not Till March

Brace yourself for another increase in butane prices. That’s the official word from the government following eight days of negotiations with Liquid Petroleum Gas Importers: BWEL, Gas Tomza and Zeta Gas. As we have been reporting for days, both sides were at an impasse earlier this week after the importers were not too happy with the hike of seven dollars for a hundred pound cylinder, which came into effect last Friday.  Importers are insisting on a higher increase in butane and threatened to interrupt supply to consumers, if that didn’t happen. Following a meeting today in Belmopan, an agreement was reached between the two. While a crisis has been averted, for now, both sides agreed to hold off an immediate increase until March.  The quantum of the new increase will be determined by market prices. Also coming out of that meeting is that because the government, through the Belize Bureau of Standards, is trying to stabilize butane prices, it is expected that going forward, changes in prices will occur on a yearly basis. Consumers in the city are now paying one hundred and four dollars; in the Capital, it’s one hundred and six dollars. In San Ignacio, the price went up to one hundred and six dollars and in Benque Viejo Del Carmen it is up to one hundred and seven dollars.  In the north, butane in Orange Walk is retailing at one hundred and five dollars; and one hundred and four dollars in Corozal. If you live in Dangriga, you are paying one hundred and eight dollars and in P.G., consumers are the hardest hit, paying one hundred and nine dollars per hundred pound cylinder. These prices remain until March.