The Automobile Association is calling for fuel companies to explain to motorists why the national price of fuel rose 5 cents per litre during January, despite no increase in commodity prices or a drop in the exchange rate. “Normally retail prices rise following an increase in the cost of importing fuel, but that wasn’t the case in January,” says AA PetrolWatch spokesperson Mark Stockdale. “While commodity prices did rise in December, they have since fallen slightly while the New Zealand dollar has strengthened by over three cents. If anything, the retail price should have fallen, not risen by five cents.…