Petrol, diesel demand in India rises to record highs in May
Hindustan TimesDomestic sales for diesel and petrol rose to record highs in May, pushing the country’s overall fuel consumption for the month higher year-on-year, data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell of the oil ministry showed on Saturday. Fuel consumption, a proxy for oil demand, totalled 18.72 million tonnes last month, during which diesel sales soared to 7.55 million tonnes and petrol consumption climbed to 2.46 million tonnes - the highest monthly sales figures in PPAC data going back to April 1998. India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, used 35.2 million tonnes of diesel during January to May this year, up 6% from the corresponding period last year. The country’s monthly diesel sales have averaged 7.05 million tonnes in 2018, compared with a monthly average consumption of 6.6 million tonnes last year. India’s diesel exports during March to April this year were 3.79 million tonnes, down 22% from 4.87 million tonnes of the industrial fuel exported during the same time last year.