Private companies are barred from marketing fuel in the border states soon

Tunisian Industry, Energy and Mines Ministry sent a proposal to the Algerian Energy Ministry inviting it, through the opening of centers for a company of production and distribution of fuel NAFTAL across the Tunisian areas, that exist across the Algerian border, and which will be assigned with the marketing of diesel and gasoline instead of private properties, in the framework of a joint program to address the smuggling of fuel across the border.

Tunisian Ministry suggested to the Algerian authorities the establishment of a joint venture company between Algeria and Tunisia for the distribution of fuel across the border states with preferential price rather than selling fuel for Tunisians at a low price, compared with other regions, and in return this company, which the majority of its shares are owned by NAFTAL under the rule of investment 51-49, gains the exclusive distribution of fuel across the Tunisian border and provinces that are located on the border with Algeria.

This proposal will contribute, according to the Tunisian Industry, Energy and Mines, to the elimination of gasoline and fuel crisis that is taking place in Tunisia, which is provided until now, with the Algerian smuggled fuel with a very high price, at a time Algeria will get rid of the problem of smuggling which burdened and strained the state treasury.

According to a study of the Algerian Energy Ministry, the smuggling of fuel across the Tunisian and Moroccan, and even Southern borders, led to losses in the public treasury worth 10 billion dinars annually, which is a very high amount, which the government took, to reduce it, a series of actions in coordination with the Customs.

Customs units across the eastern and western borders launched, the policy of tightening control on the smugglers of diesel and gasoline through the allocation of the notebook at the level of each gas station, in which the names and addresses of persons who fill large quantities of gasoline or diesel fuel are registered, and also ordered the closure of the stations from five o’clock in the evening for civilians and eighth at night for the military personnel, and preventing owners trucks and cars that include large fuel tanks like Toyota Hilux from filling more than once per day, to ensure the sealing of trucks that are coming from refineries to transfer fuel or even from ports in a manner that cannot be re-opened in the road and the imposition of additional security measures to prevent exposure to theft or smuggling fuel.

Previously, Algeria experienced a severe fuel crisis during the months of March and April, as the former Energy Minister, Youcef Yousfi, said that the problem is in the distribution because of weather conditions across a number of provinces.