The domestic consumption of diesel during May fell by 17.2 per cent on a month-on-month basis to 1.99 million tonnes, according to data released by the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell.

The consumption of petrol also fell by 16.6 per cent during the month to 1.77 million tonnes. The consumption of LPG grew by 2.6 per cent month-on-month to 2.17 million tonnes.

On a year-on-year basis, diesel demand rose marginally for the month under review by 1 per cent, despite the nationwide lockdown in May last year. Petrol demand rose by 12 per cent, but LPG demand fell by 5.5 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

This is the second consecutive month-on-month fall in consumption of diesel and petrol, which had declined by 7.5 and 13 per cent respectively during April.

Having kept the retail prices stable in April even as Brent crude had inched upwards, oil marketing companies resumed hiking the rates in May after the completion of elections in various states. Meanwhile, Brent crude rose from $65 per barrel to $70 per barrel during May as the global economy continued its recovery.

In Delhi, the retail price of diesel during May rose by ₹4.42 to ₹80.73 per litre, while the petrol price rose by ₹3.73 to ₹94.23 per litre. Both the Brent crude and retail diesel and petrol prices have continued rising in June 2021.

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