India’s fuel demand fell 1.6% in September compared with the same month last year, data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the oil ministry showed on Monday.

Consumption of fuel, a proxy for oil demand, totalled 17.92 million metric tons in September versus 18.41 million metric tons in August, the data showed.

Sales of gasoline, or petrol, were 3% higher from a year earlier at 3.15 million metric tons. Diesel consumption was down 1.8% and totaled 6.37 million metric tons in September.

Cooking gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sales increased 1.6% to 2.59 million metric tons, while naphtha sales up 0.6% to 1.03 million metric tons.

Sales of bitumen, used for making roads, were 0.4% up, while fuel oil use edged up 6.1% in Sept.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Anushree Mukherjee in Bengaluru)