PHNOM PENH, April 22– Cambodia’s total imports of diesel and gasoline reached 624 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2026, up 15.5 percent from 540 million dollars in the same period last year, according to a report of the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday.
The country spent 366 million dollars for importing diesel during the January-March period, up 10.2 percent and 258 million dollars for gasoline, up 24 percent, the report said.
Thong Mengdavid, deputy director at the China-ASEAN Studies Center of the Cambodia University of Technology and Science, said the rise of expenses was likely due to the global increase in oil prices caused by the Middle East conflict.
“Cambodia could face import bill pressure and inflation pass-through, especially in transport and food,” he told Xinhua, adding that “The government needs to increase policy urgency around energy diversification, such as renewables, and building an oil refinery or storage capacity.”
A liter of diesel costs 5,700 riels (1.42 dollars) on Wednesday, as regular gasoline is priced at 4,950 riels (1.24 dollars), according to the Ministry of Commerce. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
