Novak instructs to look into possible ban on exporting kerosene to provide Russian market with winter diesel fuel - source

MOSCOW. Oct 20 (Interfax) - The Energy Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the Federal Customs Service (FCS), and oil companies must prepare a list of preventative measures to ensure the stable functioning of the winter diesel fuel market, particularly by looking into matters to increase its production, ban the export of kerosene, as well as amend the rules for charging excise duty on jet fuel that is used for mixing with diesel fuel.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak issued the instruction at the last meeting on the situation on the oil products market, a source familiar with the minutes of the meeting on October 16 told Interfax.

The minutes also noted the failure to fulfill on time the previous instructions from the Agriculture Ministry to analyze the purchase of petroleum products by agricultural producers from small wholesale bases and through intermediaries, as well as to study the issue of optimizing the supply chain of petroleum products to agricultural producers in order to eliminate inflated margins from intermediaries. The Agriculture Ministry also had to analyze the reason for the non-sampling of diesel fuel volumes previously declared by agricultural producers.

The Federal Anti-monopoly Service (FAS), the Federal Tax Service (FTS), and the Energy Ministry have been instructed to analyze the reasons for the rise in prices at filling stations above the level of September 21 - the recommendation to keep them at the level of this date was contained in the minutes of one of the previous meetings - and to find out why prices in the small wholesale segment are not decreasing, taking into account the decline in prices for stock exchange It was also instructed to take measures to prevent prices from exceeding the designated level in a number of regions and to ensure a reduction in prices in the small wholesale segment.

The Energy Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry, the FAS, and the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) must prepare criteria for determining the indicative average exchange price for gasoline and diesel fuel, taking into account necessary reasonable costs and inflation.