Festive season drives petrol sales but diesel lag
However, the country’s most consumed fuel diesel saw a marginal drop to 7.6 mn tonnes in Oct
image for illustrative purpose
NEW DELHI: India's petrol sales surged to a five-month high in October on festive travel boost, but diesel consumption remained flattish, defying the trend, according to preliminary industry data. Petrol consumption rose 7 per cent year-on-year to 3.65 million tonnes in October, as the onset of festival season increased demand for the fuel. The sales were higher month-on-month as well when compared to 3.4 million tonnes in September.
Diesel - the most consumed fuel in the country, accounting for almost 40 per cent of the fuel consumption basket - posted a marginal drop in sales at 7.6 million tonnes in October compared to 7.64 million tonnes in the same month of the previous year.
Historically, diesel consumption dipped with the advent of the rainy season in June, as demand for fuel to run irrigation pumps dropped and vehicular movements slowed. But sales rebounded from October as rains receded and the festive season fuelled a rise in trucking. But this year, the trend has been defied with October witnessing a marginal drop in consumption rather than a rise. While petrol consumption was 16.3 per cent more than in October 2023, diesel sales this year were lower than the 7.63 million tonnes of demand in October 2023, according to the monthly flash report of the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
