The government has sharply raised fuel prices by up to Tk20 per litre, pushing diesel to Tk135 and petrol to Tk160, as mounting losses from surging international oil prices and freight costs forced the first domestic price adjustment in five months.
The new prices, announced by the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources on Sunday night, will take effect from midnight.
Under the revised rates, diesel will cost Tk135 per litre, up Tk20 from Tk115.
Kerosene will rise by Tk20 to Tk155 from Tk135, while petrol will increase by Tk20 to Tk160 from Tk140 and octane to Tk165 from Tk145.
The across-the-board hike comes amid continued volatility in the global energy market linked to the ongoing Middle East war, with the government saying international fuel prices and transportation costs have risen sharply since March.
The Energy Division said international fuel prices had more than doubled, but the government kept domestic prices unchanged for the past five months to shield consumers from the full impact of the global surge.
That decision, however, left the state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation facing losses of approximately Tk22,875.66 crore between March and August, according to the division.
The latest increase follows an earlier Tk15-per-litre hike in diesel prices on April 18, when the rate was raised to Tk115.