BRASILIA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government said Wednesday it will soon introduce a fuel subsidy to help curb rising prices linked to the Middle East conflict, with the measure initially applying to gasoline and potentially expanding to diesel at a later stage.

According to the government, gasoline has not yet been covered by subsidies or tax cuts introduced since the outbreak of the conflict. The measure could later be extended to diesel after an existing subsidy program expires.

The subsidy will be paid directly to producers and importers through the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, and will be capped at the level of federal fuel taxes, the government said.

Brazilian Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira urged distributors and gas stations to ensure that consumers quickly benefit from the measures. "I call on distributors and gas stations to speed up the implementation of federal measures," he said.

Planning and Budget Minister Bruno Moretti said the subsidies will be funded through the federal budget while remaining fiscally neutral and without adding pressure to public finances. ■