KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaican motorists are bracing for higher fuel costs starting this Thursday, April 30, after state-owned refinery Petrojam announced widespread increases to ex-refinery fuel prices across all product grades.
The most impactful change for everyday drivers is a $4.50 per litre jump for both standard gasoline blends. Following the adjustment, 90-octane gasoline will be priced at $193.07 per litre, while the more widely used 87-octane blend will retail at an adjusted $185.63 per litre before retail mark-ups.
The $4.50 per litre increase extends to other core fuel products as well. Regular automotive diesel will now cost $193.25 per litre, and the cleaner ultra-low sulphur diesel variant will hit $200.09 per litre after the adjustment. Kerosene, a product widely used for cooking and heating in many Jamaican households, will also see a matching $4.50 per litre rise, bringing its ex-refinery price to $182.64 per litre.
Smaller but still notable increases are applied to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products, which are commonly used for residential cooking. Propane will rise by $1.94 per litre to $80.82, while butane will see a $2.43 per litre increase, settling at $89.23 per litre at the ex-refinery level.
It is important to note that these published ex-refinery prices do not represent the final cost consumers will pay at retail outlets. Local fuel marketing companies and independent retailers will add their own standard operating margins and mark-ups to these base rates before the fuel reaches consumers at the pump.