SANTO DOMINGO — The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MICM) has unveiled a new fuel pricing adjustment that will raise the per-gallon cost of premium gasoline and optimal diesel by RD$4, while the national government will maintain sweeping subsidy coverage to avoid cascading cost shocks for households and commuters. The administration will continue to absorb the vast majority of recent global fuel cost surges, a policy explicitly designed to prevent upward spikes in public transportation fares and the market value of the country’s basic food basket, both of which are highly sensitive to fuel price volatility. Breakdowns of the current subsidy framework show the state is covering RD$65.11 per gallon of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a staple for household cooking, RD$15.45 per gallon of regular gasoline, and RD$94.53 per gallon of regular diesel. Officials emphasized that diesel remains the single largest source of strain on public coffers, with additional subsidy allocations of RD$82.82 per gallon for premium diesel on top of the already substantial support for regular-grade diesel. MICM technical teams clarified that the domestic fuel cost trajectory is not directly aligned with global crude oil benchmark trends, as over 80% of all fuel consumed across the Dominican Republic is imported as a finished refined product rather than as unprocessed crude. This market structure means that recent sharp rises in global refining margins have pushed retail prices for gasoline, diesel, and LPG upward at a far faster pace than fluctuations in unrefined crude oil prices, creating additional cost pressures that the government is working to mitigate for end consumers. For the latest breaking policy and market updates, readers can access full coverage via DominicanScope.