Petrol sales shrink 17.6%, diesel 26% in March as lockdown wipes demand

India’s petrol sales shrank by 17.6 per cent and diesel demand tanked nearly 26 per cent in March as the economy froze under the nationwide lockdown announced to check the spread of COVID-19.

Also, aviation turbine fuel (ATF) sales fell by 31.6 per cent as flights got suspended alongside the shutting of businesses and most vehicular traffic going off-road.

Petrol sales dropped to 1.943 million tonnes in March sold in the same month in 2019, according to provisional industry demand numbers.

Diesel, the most consumed fuel in the country, saw demand contract by 25.9 per cent to 4.982 million tonnes.

Similarly, ATF sales fell to 4,63,000 tonnes. The only fuel that showed growth was LPG as households rushed to book refills for stocking during the three-week lockdown period.