Premium Gasoline Market Price Up 17 Pct: Pertamina

Jakarta (Antara) - State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina said the market price of premium gasoline during the January to March period experienced an average increase of 17 percent. Communications Deputy President of Pertamina Wianda Pusponegoro said on Saturday that the basic price of diesel oil also saw a hike of about 13 percent in the same period. \"The increase has impacted the prices of the two types of fuels at home. For that, adjustment needed to be made in the prices of premium gasoline and diesel oil fuels,\" she said. The Pertamina official said the increase in the prices of the two types of fuels took place due to two factors. The first factor was that during the January to March period, the global gasoline price index in terms of the U.S. dollar jumped 13 percent, while that for diesel oil was up by 9 percent. She said the spike took place due to the U.S. dollar\'s value against the rupiah increasing by 3.4 percent. As of March 28, the government raised the price of premium gasoline from Rp6,800 to Rp7,300 per liter for regions outside Java, Madura and Bali, and from Rp6,900 to Rp7,400 for regions in Java, Madura and Bali. (*)