October’s diesel sales in India rise above pre-Covid levels

India’s gasoil sales rose in October for the first time since the nation imposed Covid-19 restrictions in late March, preliminary data shows, signalling a pick-up in industrial activity ahead of key festivals.

Diesel sales by the country’s three state fuel retailers rose 8.8% year on year in the first half of October, according to provisional data compiled by Indian Oil Corp , the country’s biggest refiner and fuel retailer.
Sales of gasoil, which account for about two fifths of the country’s overall fuel demand, totalled 2.65 million tonnes, up more than 24% from the previous month.

Rising diesel sales in the world’s third-biggest oil consumer and importer would help refiners that have had to cut crude-processing runs during the coronavirus crisis, said an official at one of the state refiners, though he cautioned that diesel sales growth could be temporary.