PPAC NEWS

India's fuel demand is likely to grow 5.5% in the next fiscal year beginning April 1, initial government estimates show.

Crude oil imports last month rose 7.1% versus November to 19.65 million tonnes, data on the website of the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) showed on Monday.

Increasing crude rates and weakening rupee against dollar are now providing the support for petrol and diesel prices in India to continue their 4-day streak of hike. Petrol and Diesel in the capital city, New Delhi were priced at ₹76.13 and ₹67.86 per litre. PPAC data shows that the crude oil basket of India averaged ₹ 73.85 in June; while the INR fell to ₹ 68.87 against the U.S. dollars.

The Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the Indian Oil Ministry has disclosed that the countrywide fuel consumption for the month of April totaled to 17.67 million tonnes. This indicates a rise in India’s fuel demand by 4.4%, and is owed to the surge in cooking gas (LPG) and auto fuel consumption. The data from the PPAC also showed an increase in Petrol, Diesel, ATF and other fuels.

India relies more than 80% on oil imports to meet its requirements. In this fiscal year, the country’s oil import bill is likely to jump by a quarter to USD 87.7 billion, according to the latest data collected from the oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC). The data suggested that the surge in the international oil prices is also responsible for the spike in the import bill.