- India’s fuel demand in September rose for the first time since June as easing coronavirus restrictions supported economic activity and travel, but consumption remained weaker than a year earlier, government data showed on Friday.
Consumption of refined fuels, a proxy for oil demand, rose 7.2% in September from the prior month to 15.47 million tonnes, the first monthly increase since June when demand rose to 16.09 million tonnes. The country’s factory activity also expanded at its fastest pace in more than eight years in September, even as layoffs continued.
Diesel consumption, a key parameter linked to economic growth and which accounts for about 40% of overall refined fuel sales in India, rose 13.2% to 5.49 million tonnes last month from 4.85 million tonnes in August.Sales of gasoline, or petrol, rose by 3.3% from a year earlier to 2.45 million tonnes, and by 2.9% from 2.38 million tonnes in August.Cooking gas or liquefied petroleum gas sales increased by 4.8% to 2.27 million tonnes from a year earlier, while naphtha sales rose 2.9% to 1.