Finance Minister Rafael Calderon announced yesterday that the government would pay RD$150 million to the importers of LPG (propane gas) as a partial payment on the RD$300-million debt. At the same time, Industry & Commerce Minister Sonia Guzman de Hernandez reaffirmed that within 12 days the propane supply problems would be solved by the arrival of another tanker loaded with 11.5 million gallons of the widely-used fuel. Both government officials made their statements to the press after a meeting with the head of the Dominican Refinery, Amaury Justo Duarte, and the importers and distributors of the commodity. Calderon told reporters that President Mejia had told them “to pay the money between now and next week.” For her part, Guzman de Hernandez told reporters that the government would continue to subsidize propane, while simultaneously warning the buying public to be patient.
In a related story in the economic section of the Listin Diario, the head of the refinery, Amaury Justo Duarte, told reporters that he supports the removal of the government subsidy that has kept the price of propane at RD$25 a gallon. To his way of thinking, the subsidy greatly favors large commercial users of propane, such as hotels and bakeries. While not opposed to the subsidy in principle, Justo Duarte said he would prefer to see that it be more focused on certain consumers, instead of globally. The refinery chief pointed out the broad use of propane in public and private transport, calling it “unfair”. Meanwhile, consumers have to deal with the inconveniences the acute scarcity of the LPG is causing.