Diesel sales jump on agricultural demand

Diesel sales in India jumped up sharply in the first half of April as agricultural activity pick-up and trucking increased to meet industrial demand, preliminary industry data showed on Monday.

Demand for diesel, the most consumed fuel in the country accounting for about two-fifths of the demand, soared over 15 per cent to 3.45 million tonnes in the first half of April when compared to a year ago.

Month-on-month sales rose 8.4 per cent when compared with 3.19 million tonnes of diesel consumed in the first half of March that had witnessed seasonal slowdown.

Petrol sales rose about 2 per cent to 1.14 million tonnes during April 1 to 15 when compared with the same period of last year. Sales however fell 6.6 per cent month-on-month, the data showed.