The Malaysian government will explore all avenues to ensure that the Budi Madani RON 95 (Budi95) petrol subsidy programme will be extended beyond May this year, said prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, reported New Straits Times.
The government would make use of all available resources, including expertise from Petronas to identify alternative petroleum sources from other countries such as Brazil and Canada, the prime minister said, adding that the government is confident that it can sustain the Budi95 programme beyond May this year.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, announced yesterday that the Budi95 monthly quota for RON 95 petrol – currently priced at RM1.99 per litre – will be temporarily adjusted from its initial 300 litres to 200 litres from April 1, 2026.
For the week of March 26 to April 1, 2026, the price of unsubsidised RON 95 petrol is at RM3.87 per litre, while RON 97 is at RM5.15 per litre, with both petrol fuels having climbed 60 sen from their respective prices last week. Euro 5 B10 diesel is priced at RM5.52 per litre, while Euro 5 B7 at 20 sen per litre more, is RM5.72 per litre this week.
Today, home minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has said that nine out of 10 Malaysians will not be affected by the quota adjustment, effectively echoing an earlier statement by secretary-general of the treasury at the ministry of finance Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican that 90% of those eligible for Budi95 used less than 200 litres per month.
In a statement issued yesterday, the ministry of finance revealed that the nation’s subsidy expenditure for petrol and diesel fuels is estimated to reach around RM4 billion a month, with Brent crude oil prices reaching USD100 per barrel. By contrast, based on market prices two weeks ago when Brent crude oil was around USD90 per barrel, the subsidies were estimated to be around RM3 billion a month.
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