Govt increases LPG subsidies, plans to provide 450,000 gas cylinders in 2024/25

DODOMA: IN a bid to minimise the cost for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the government through the Rural Energy Agency (REA) has continued to provide subsidies to gas cylinder suppliers, allowing them to sell them at reduced prices.

Deputy Minister for Energy, Ms Judith Kapinga told the National Assembly here on that in the 2023/24 fiscal year, the government allocated subsidies to a total of 104,000 gas cylinders. She said that in 2024/25 financial year, the government, through REA, plans to subsidise 450,000 gas cylinders and increase the number of agents especially in rural areas so that they can be made available at much affordable price.

The deputy minister was responding to a question posed by Mr Emmanuel Cherehani (Ushetu-CCM) who inquired about the government plans to increase and offer subsidy to gas cylinders so that ordinary citizen can access them at affordable price.

She said some suppliers of the LNG have started putting metre gauge on the cylinders to enable the customers to buy gas according to their economic capability.

The country’s clean cooking energy drive is part of the broader national initiative to transition from traditional biomass fuels like wood and charcoal to cleaner, more sustainable energy sources such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and improved cook stoves.

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This is done for reduced health risks attached by the use of biomass for cooking which is associated with indoor air pollution, which poses serious health risks, especially for women and children, also deforestation due to the widespread use of wood and charcoal contributes significantly to deforestation, which in turn leads to environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and impacts on climate.

REA plays a crucial role in expanding access to clean cooking energy across rural areas. The agency is responsible for providing subsidies to suppliers of LPG and other clean cooking technologies, making these options more affordable for the population.

The subsidy is set to increase significantly as the efforts aim to make clean energy accessible and affordable to a larger segment of the population.