Baghlan’s petroleum revenue shoots up

PUL-I-KHUMRI (Pajhwok): Officials of Baghlan Petroleum Department say their revenue for the first quarter of the current year alone has increased by five percent over the figure for the whole previous year.

Petroleum Director Karim Shaheen said in an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News their department’s revenue had shot up despite the Covid-19 challenge.

He recalled about 13.4 million afghanis had been collected last year. He put at 16 million afs the amount realised over the past three months of the year.

“The revenue we have collected in the past quarter is five percent higher than the figure for the entire previous year,” he explained.

The official tied the revenue surge to better tax collection from private firms and the revival of state-owned fuel stations.

Shaheen added: “This year’s revenue will be 30 percent higher if the collection process continues on an efficient note.”

The department has also launched a door-to-door gas selling campaign, which is expected to help boost its income.

Shaheen said the Baghlan Petroleum Authority currently had a storage capacity of 500 tonnes of liquefied natural gas. However, efforts are underway to build two more such facilities.

Zabihullah, the director of fuel stations association, told Pajhwok prices of fuel products had dropped in Afghanistan after the outbreak of the Covid-19.

“The more petroleum products are sold, the higher the revenue of the department will be, as one afghani per litre will be paid to the department in technical services,” he concluded.

sa/mud