Dozens of butane gas cylinders distributors blocked Qasr al-Aini Street briefly in front of the Ministry of Supply to protest against price hikes implemented Monday.
Protesters demanded Supply Minister Bassem Kamal rethink the increase.
Filling butane cylinders for use in the home now costs LE8, up 60 percent, while commercial butane costs LE16 per cylinder, a price jump of 100 percent.
“The Cabinet decided that butane gas cylinders should cost LE6, so we can sell only sell it at LE8. This is unfair,” distributor Hamada Salem told Egypt Independent.
“Our small trucks barely carry 25 cylinders, which means our profits are just LE50 per delivery distributed among workers,” he added.
Butane gas prices are on the rise as part of a subsidy reduction plan, a key component in negotiations between Cairo and the International Monetary Fund over a US$4.8 billion loan.
