Observing oil quality standards before
reaching the ultimate consumer is important in curbing fuel
adulterations, dealers of petroleum products were told in Dar es Salaam.
Petro products Testing & Services
Limited, Managing Director, Mr John Iseme, urged during a training
session that regular testing of the petroleum products before reaching
the final market could help to curb cheating.
“Maintaining the quality standards of
petroleum products is important for the oil firms’ integrity and to the
end user,” he said adding that by observing the process throughout the
chain value, dealers may contribute significantly to ending fuel
adulteration.
He said most petroleum dealers put much
weight on measuring oil density to check the quantity or volume of
consignments. But the process is more than testing the oil density and
should go as far as to the quality standards.
He said in Dar es Salaam it is somehow
difficult for fuel adulterers to go with the illegal business but as the
oil consignments are ferried from the main depots to upcountry
destinations there are greater chances of adulterating products.
“Petroleum dealers may play significant
role to ensure consumers get high quality petroleum products, an
initiative that could also support government efforts to check down
losses due to adulterations,” he said.
Between 2006 and 2010, cases of fuel
adulteration reached an alarming rate and it was then said that the
government was losing about 300bn/- annually.
Early this year, cases of fuel
adulteration in the local market were reported to be re-emerging,
prompting the government to contemplate new measures to curb the
malpractice that denies the government billions of shillings in revenue.
The recent measures taken by government to check fuel adulteration were to hike taxes on kerosene.
Some dishonest people have been taking
advantage of tax difference between petrol and diesel on one hand and
kerosene on the other to reap more profits through adulteration.
Source: Daily News, reported by Sebastian Mrindoko, from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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