Gas Shortage: SCDP rail against distributors

Another domestic gas shortage occurred a few days ago in the cities of Yaoundé and Douala.

It was a shortage that sparked the wrath of the public and incomprehension at the Cameroonian Society of Petroleum Deposits (SCDP).

According to Maloum Bra, the head of SCDP Agency in Yaounde, "this is a big hoax”. The head of SCDP who granted an interview to the daily Cameroon Tribune and excerpts of the interview reported in the daily Emergence on Friday, October 9, 2015 edition, explained: "we are constantly called by the Ministry of Trade for this problem, which cannot be explained. If yes, there is a speculation that is taking place, as it's, unfortunately, the case given the approach of the end of the year."

According to him, "we serve all eight sellers of the domestic gas sector. Every day, they receive supply. Where do these bottles go to? This is the real question to ask. SCTM alone took 19 tonnes of gas on Monday (October 05, 2015). It is almost 2000 bottles. In addition, SCTM has another Center Packer in Douala, which loads also 2000 bottles every day to Yaoundé. It makes a daily stock of 4,000 bottles for this single marketer."

The Agency Chief went on to say that "others come every day and are served after their exact requests; not a single bottle less. 8000 bottles runs per day for the city of Yaoundé and we are able to produce more, especially because it has a surplus of butane at Douala. When they tell us of shortages which is not understandable."

According to the journal, «at SCDP as well as within the population, distributors are suspected; primarily the leader of the local market of domestic gas SCTM for preparing for the age-old end of year shortage of with the complicity of resellers, to dispose off the product at gold prices».