Government agrees to $5 rise in butane

The flames on Belize’s stoves were burning brightly today as government granted importers of liquid petroleum gas their requested price increase. A hundred pound cylinder of butane delivered in Belize City now sells for sixty-eight dollars. Today’s price hike, like one previously approved in December, was based on the rise in the price charged by PEMEX of Mexico, Belize’s sole supplier. World prices for all petroleum products have skyrocketed over the last several months and should remain high through the winter as demand in the United States for gasoline, natural gas and electricity remains strong.