Drop in diesel price welcomed By Jyothi Laldas |2 May 2024 | 10:26 am While petrol will see an increase this month, a welcomed in diesel prices might provide some comfort for farmers. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced that as of 1 May, all grades of petrol will go up by 37c/?, while wholesale diesel prices will by 30c for 0,05% sulphur and 36c/? for 0,005% sulphur. In Gauteng, you will now pay R25,49? for petrol and on the coast R24,70/?. READ Optimising fuel usage on your farm However, ping to the lowest levels since February this year, the wholesale price of diesel will be R22,15/? in Gauteng and R21,36/? at the coast. Illuminating paraffin will see a reduction of 19c/? while the price of LP gas will by 46c per kilogram. In a statement, the department said growing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and sustained production cuts by Opec+ countries were some of the main contributing factors to the petrol increase. However, the diesel prices bucked the trend in international markets, decreasing as a result of seasonal changes as the Northern Hemisphere started moving away from the winter season. Commenting on the decrease in diesel, Agbiz chief economist Wandile Sihlobo said it was good that diesel prices would see a mild adjustment. READ Moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy “Starting this month, the diesel price changes will matter most for agriculture. We will begin a busy planting season for winter crops, harvesting for citrus, and harvesting in the early planted summer crops regions. “Still, the general year-round fuel prices matter greatly for agribusiness transporting agricultural commodities and food products. We now have a lot of products on the road. For example, roughly 81% of maize, 76% of wheat and 69% of soya beans in South Africa are transported by road. “On average, 75% of national grains and oilseeds and a substantial share of other agricultural products are transported by road.