Fuel crisis begins to affect Government project delivery

Rising global fuel prices are beginning to affect the delivery of essential rural development projects, with the Government warning that some planned works may have to be scaled back.

Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo said escalating fuel costs were putting pressure on the ministry's budget and could reduce the number of borehole projects delivered in remote communities.

He said the fixed funding allocated for rural development projects no longer stretched as far as it once did because of higher operating costs.

"Where we are now with the set amount of money that we target for borehole projects, that amount of money means that we will do one or two less.

"The longer the distance we need to cover, the more the operational costs,” he said.

Mr Vosarogo said the challenge was not only the cost of fuel but also managing supply in a volatile global market.

While Fiji's fuel supply remained stable, he said prices continued to be influenced by international factors beyond the country's control.

The Minister said Government faced the difficult task of maintaining fuel supplies and revenue streams while also trying to shield ordinary Fijians from the full impact of rising costs.

The comments come as fuel prices continue to climb, placing additional pressure on households, businesses and development programmes across the country.