During the same period, 1.51 million tonnes of crude oil was imported at a cost of about 105.03 billion taka, mainly from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Some fuel is also produced by processing condensate obtained from local gas fields. Overall, the Eastern Refinery produced about 1.496 million tonnes of petroleum products in the last financial year, including about 750,000 tonnes of diesel.
When contacted, state power, energy and mineral resources minister Anindya Islam said about 20 per cent of the total imports are crude oil, while 80 per cent is refined fuel.
“Bangladesh is now importing fuel from various sources. Supplies are also coming from countries like Singapore, Malaysia, India and China. Therefore, there is no immediate concern about a major fuel shortage,” he said.
The Minister of State said that initiatives have also been taken to import fuel from alternative sources. As part of this effort, the process of importing approximately 120,000 tonnes of oil from Brunei has started.
“As a result, even if crude oil shipments are delayed, the country is not facing an immediate crisis,” he said.