Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has sought to calm fears over Fiji’s fuel outlook, saying the country has adequate stocks and announcing a FJD 56 million relief package to blunt rising cost pressures driven by international oil markets.
In a national address, Rabuka said Fiji had about 45 million litres of fuel in onshore storage as of April 19, with a further 22 million litres expected to arrive before the end of the month. National daily consumption is estimated at roughly 2.5 million litres. He told listeners that stock levels would fall to about 40 million litres by the end of April — a planned drawdown to make room for incoming shipments as part of the usual supply cycle — and that suppliers have committed to deliver around 118 million litres in May. Those May deliveries, he said, would lift national stocks to more than 59 percent of total storage capacity.
“Fuel is available. Government is acting. And Fiji is prepared,” Rabuka said, stressing that the immediate pressure on households and businesses stems from higher global prices rather than a domestic shortage. He pointed to disruptions tied to Middle East tensions and rising international market costs as drivers of the squeeze. Domestic pump prices are set by the independent Fiji Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC), and Rabuka acknowledged a further price rise is possible when prices are recalculated in May.
The Cabinet has approved redeploying FJD 56 million from savings and delayed projects within the current 2025–2026 Budget to fund immediate support measures, the Prime Minister said, emphasising the money will not require new borrowing. Key elements of the package include FJD 4 million to support bus operators — the government will absorb an additional 10 percent fare increase for April–July on top of existing subsidies and provide a 20-cent-per-litre fuel rebate to bus companies. Energy Fiji Limited will receive temporary fuel rebates for four months — 20 cents per litre on diesel and 12 cents per litre on heavy fuel oil — intended to help stabilise electricity supply.
Rabuka also announced a FJD 28 million cane price top-up for the 2025 crop season and a temporary 50 percent top-up to social welfare payments for three months (May–July), estimated to cost about FJD 24 million. Together, these measures aim to ease immediate household and service-provider burdens while the Government continues to monitor international conditions and local prices.
The update follows earlier warnings from the FCCC and economists that Fiji, which imports all of its fuel, would face higher domestic prices as global oil costs rose. Rabuka urged the public to avoid panic buying and to conserve fuel and electricity where possible — through carpooling, increased use of public transport and reducing unnecessary travel — while officials continue daily monitoring of supply and pricing with fuel companies and the regulator.
Government sources said officials are working closely with suppliers and the FCCC to manage deliveries and public communication, and that the response would be adjusted if international conditions deteriorate further.