Public suffering at filling stations has not eased for the past one and a half months. The rush is mainly for octane, with private cars and motorcycles lining up.

Compared to last month, supply has dropped this month, making queues at Dhaka’s pumps even longer each day—despite there being sufficient octane in the country.

In this situation, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) is considering increasing octane supply to the market starting Sunday. The organisation says supply could be raised by 25 per cent.

BPC is the country’s sole state agency responsible for importing and supplying fuel. It sells fuel through dealers of its three marketing companies—Padma, Meghna, and Jamuna. Officials believe that increasing supply could help reduce long lines at filling stations.

According to data from the Energy Division and BPC, there is currently no shortage of octane in the country. In fact, without increasing supply, storage capacity may run out. Bangladesh has a total octane storage capacity of 45,819 tonnes.

After sales on 15 April, stock stood at 30,667 tonnes—equivalent to 26 days of supply at current rates. A vessel carrying 25,000 tonnes of octane is scheduled to arrive at Chittagong port today. Additionally, at least 700 tonnes of octane are being added daily from local sources.