Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji has enough fuel in the short term but warned households and businesses to brace for higher prices, as his government moves to cushion the blow with a $56 million redeployment from the current budget. Rabuka provided the most detailed public update yet on the island’s fuel position on April 24, saying stock levels are stable even as global disruptions push prices higher.
As of April 19, Fiji had about 45 million litres of fuel on land, with another 22 million litres scheduled to arrive before the end of April, Rabuka said — bringing available April supply to roughly 67 million litres. With national daily consumption at about 2.5 million litres, he said stocks will fall to around 40 million litres by month’s end, or about 29 percent of storage capacity. Rabuka described that drawdown as a routine part of the supply cycle to allow vessels to discharge subsequent shipments safely.
Looking further ahead, he said suppliers have committed to deliver approximately 118 million litres in May, a volume that should lift national fuel stocks back to more than 59 percent of storage capacity and ease short-term supply pressure. “Once those shipments arrive, our national fuel stock is expected to rebound,” Rabuka said, underlining that Fiji is operating in “Phase 1 — a normal supply situation, but under pressure from high global fuel prices.”
The prime minister stressed that the core problem is global price inflation, not a domestic shortage. He attributed recent increases to the Middle East conflict and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, noting Fiji purchases fuel in US dollars so spikes in international markets are passed through to the local market. Rabuka said the independent regulator, the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC), set higher domestic prices on April 1 to reflect actual purchasing costs, and warned consumers to expect another rise in May.
To soften the impact, Cabinet on April 21 approved reallocating $56 million (about US$39.95 million) within the 2025–2026 budget to support families, businesses and essential services. The government said the funds are not new borrowing but a reprioritisation of delayed projects to provide immediate relief, focusing on protecting livelihoods and maintaining critical services while prices remain elevated.
The update supplies concrete figures that were missing from earlier briefings in March, when officials warned Fiji could face price pressure from heightened regional tensions but stopped short of detailing stock levels or planned government support. With firm supplier commitments for May and the $56 million redeployment, Rabuka’s statement aims to reassure the public on physical supply while acknowledging the continuing financial strain on households and the economy as global fuel markets remain volatile.