The prices of cargo transport between governorates rose by 20 percent due to the rise in diesel prices, Ahmed al-Zeiny, head of the Cargo Transport Association, said Tuesday.
Zeiny said at a press conference that the transport prices hike will lead to rising commodity prices at the same rate or higher, given that traders add a margin of profit.
He warned the cabinet of ministers that the ongoing crisis could lead to higher rates of cargo theft, because trucks must stop several times on highways to fill their gas tanks.
Zeiny said he met with members of the People’s Assembly Transportation and Telecommunications Committee this week to discuss the fuel crisis and its impact on cargo transport. He said the crisis would continue until the supplies of diesel and gasoline stabilize.
Ahmed al-Rakaiby, head of the Food Industries Holding Company, said the fuel crisis has had repercussions for the transport of wheat because private transport companies are refraining from providing their services.
In statements to Al-Masry Al-Youm Wednesday, Rakaiby said a decision was made to increase the amount of wheat transported by trains and to use the company’s trucks to transport wheat after the fuel shortage led to a drop in the market supply of wheat.
There are signs that the company has been hit by the shortage as well, he said, because the company’s quota of fuel — used to operate the company’s fleet of trucks — has slipped as a result of the fuel shortages.
Translated from al-Masry Al-Youm
