New Delhi: India's fuel demand witnessed the sharpest rebound in February as petrol and diesel consumption rose by double digits after a winter lull in the previous month, preliminary industry data showed on Thursday. Petrol sales jumped by almost 18 percent to 1.22 million tonnes in the first half of February, as compared to 1.04 million tonnes of consumption in the same period of last year.

Demand was up by 13.6%, reversing the dip in the previous month

Sales were 18.3 percent higher than in COVID-marred first half of February 2021 and 15.7 percent more than in the same period of 2020. Month-on-month, the demand was up by 13.6 percent, reversing the dip in the previous month. Sales had fallen 5.1 percent month-on-month in January as cold conditions cut vehicular movement.

Diesel, the most used fuel in the country, posted a near 25 percent rise in sales during February 1-15 to 3.33 million tonnes, as compared to the same period last year. Consumption was up by 16.7 percent over the first half of February 2021 and seven percent higher than 2020. Month-on-month sales surged 10.3 percent from 3.01 million tonnes in the first half of January.

Diesel consumption fell by 8.6% in Jan

In January, diesel consumption fell by 8.6 percent on month-on-month basis as snowfall in higher reaches halted truck movement. The rebound in sales is the sharpest. Industry sources said that diesel demand surged as trucks returned to roads and there was a pickup in the agriculture sector. Use of the fuel in irrigation pumps and trucking helped build the momentum generated.

January sales were lower month-on-month also because the previous month had seen a surge in consumption due to vacation travel. With the continued opening of the aviation sector, India's overall passenger traffic at airports inched closer to pre-COVID-19 levels.

ATF demand jumped by 43.7 percent to 2,94,000 tonnes during the first half of Feb

Reflecting the trend, jet fuel (ATF) demand jumped by 43.7 percent to 2,94,000 tonnes during the first half of February when compared to the same period last year. It was 35.6 percent higher than February 2021 but 12.8 percent lower than February 2020. Month-on-month sales were up 4.22 percent.

Sources said that while domestic air travel is back to pre-COVID levels, international traffic is lagging because of continued restrictions in some countries. India's recovery has continued to gain momentum in recent months but has been accompanied by elevated inflation. This slowed the momentum a bit. The country's oil demand had been rising steadily since the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

Cooking gas LPG sales were up 4.1% on y-o-y basis at 1.39 mn tonnes in Feb

Cooking gas LPG sales were up 4.1 percent year-on-year at 1.39 million tonnes from February 1 to February 15. LPG consumption was 14.7 percent higher than in February 2021 and 20.9 percent more than in February 2020. Month-on-month, the demand was up nearly 12 percent when compared to 1.24 million tonnes of LPG consumption during January 1-15, the data showed.

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