India's Fuel Demand Up 4.4% In April

India's fuel demand rose 4.4 per cent in April on the back of a surge in auto fuel and cooking gas (LPG) consumption.

Fuel consumption in April totalled 17.67 million tonnes as compared to 16.91 million tonnes in the same month last year, data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the oil ministry showed.

The rise was led by a 9.2 per cent surge in petrol sales at 2.28 million tonnes. Diesel, which makes up for roughly 40 per cent of all the petroleum product consumed in the country, posted a 2.6 per cent growth in consumption at 7.15 million tonnes.

Jet fuel or ATF sale was up 13.4 per cent at 6,92,000 tonnes. With the government pushing for use of cleaner liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as cooking fuel by giving free connections to poor, cooking gas (LPG) consumption was up 13 per cent at 1.87 million tonnes.

The result of LPG push was a 7.2 per cent drop in kerosene usage at 3,07,000 tonnes in April when compared to the year-ago period. Naphtha sales were up 6.2 per cent at 1.06 million tonnes but consumption of petroleum coke was almost flat at 2.18 million tonnes.

(PTI)