The government will need over 1.4 million tonnes of fuel for irrigating lands during the Boro paddy cultivation season.

State-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) forecasted the demand for fuel at a virtual meeting on Tuesday.

According to the BPC, during the Boro season the country will have a demand of 13,97,129 tonnes of diesel and 45,971 tonnes of lube oils in the fiscal year 2022-23.

It was 11,50,877 tonnes of diesel and lube oil which was 16.64 percent of the total fuel in the last fiscal year.

At the meeting, the policy makers suggested keeping 150,000 tonnes of buffer stock of fuel during the Boro cultivation. Boro is one of the major food grain cultivation seasons in Bangladesh.

They also called for monitoring the supply of fuel to cultivators as well as to curb smuggling of the diesel.

The meeting emphasised dredging of rivers, having rail wagons and repairing roads to ensure smooth supply of the fuels.