Fuel tank storage in Walu Bay, Suva

Fijians will pay slightly less for fuel and LPG from today after the latest price review by the Fiji Competition and Consumer Commission, offering modest relief for businesses and households already under cost-of-living pressure.

The latest reduction comes after Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel signalled during his Budget Address that fuel prices were expected to ease in the upcoming review. However, the actual decrease has been described by many Fijians as not significant, despite earlier expectations of more noticeable relief.

The Suva Retailers Association says even the small reduction will help businesses manage operating costs, particularly transport and logistics, which could eventually flow on to consumers.

“I think the public should be happy. One good piece of news is that we are expecting fuel prices to go down in July, so that will provide some relief to a lot of people.”

Association President Jitesh Patel says lower fuel costs may help ease pressure on household budgets over time, but notes that overall economic conditions remain challenging for businesses.

“These are a little bit of challenging times. The deficit is over a billion dollars, so how the Government will fund that is another issue. But other than that, we knew it was going to be an election budget, with many measures for consumers, including the continuation of zero percent duty on a number of items.”

Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel says the focus of the budget is to strengthen fiscal stability by balancing government spending and revenue collection.

“There will be a lot of work that needs to be done to stabilise our fiscal position. From there, we can focus on growing the economy. A strong fiscal position will assist both the Government and the private sector.”

He says disciplined spending, improved revenue collection and prudent financial management are needed to reduce fiscal pressure and support long-term economic resilience.