India's petrol sales hit 5-month high: Here we decode why
What's the story
India's petrol sales hit a five-month high in October, driven by festive travel. The consumption rose by 7% year-on-year to 3.65 million tons, according to preliminary industry data. This is also an increase from September's figure of 3.4 million tons. Diesel consumption, however, remained flat with a slight decline compared to the same period last year.
Consumption patterns
Diesel consumption remained flat with slight decline
Diesel, which makes up nearly 40% of India's fuel consumption basket, saw a marginal decline in sales to 7.6 million tons in October. This is down from last year's figure of 7.64 million tons for the same month. Normally, diesel consumption dips during the monsoon season as irrigation pump usage decreases and vehicular movement slows down. However, this year has been different with a slight drop instead of an increase in October.
Fuel trends
ATF and LPG sales on the rise
Jet fuel or ATF consumption continued its upward trend, growing by 1.6% to 769,000 tons in October. This figure is also 11.11% higher than last year's figure for the same month. LPG sales saw a rise of 5.4%, reaching nearly three million tons last month as domestic cooking needs continue to drive demand growth.
Fiscal overview
Petrol, diesel, ATF, and LPG consumption trends
In the first seven months of the current fiscal year starting April 2025, petrol consumption has grown by 6.8% to 24.84 million tons. Diesel sales have also increased by 2.45% to 53.3 million tons during this period. ATF consumption for this fiscal year has risen by 1% to 5.2 million tons, while LPG demand has jumped by a whopping 7.2%, reaching an impressive figure of nearly 19.7 million tons during this time frame.