New Delhi: The government on Thursday said some regions of the country are witnessing a 20–30 percent increase in diesel demand, driven by the agricultural season, a shift in diesel sales from bulk consumers to retail outlets, and price differences between public and private fuel retailers.
“Fuel demand has risen in some regions, driven by the agricultural season, a shift of bulk diesel to retail supply, and price differences between public and private oil companies,” Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, told an inter-ministerial press briefing Thursday.She added, “Despite this, supply remains adequate, and steps are being taken to ensure uninterrupted availability at all petrol pumps.”
The surge in demand at retail outlets is also linked to the price differential between bulk and retail diesel. Sharma said the gap between the two stands at Rs 40–42 per litre in some regions.Bulk diesel is sold directly by state-owned oil marketing companies, private refiners such as Reliance and Nayara Energy, and authorised wholesale industrial distributors. Major bulk consumers include Indian Railways, transport operators and manufacturing facilities.
Fuel supplies across IndianOil’s retail network remain stable. IndianOil has not issued any instructions for rationing of fuels at retail outlets, and supply operations across the country continue smoothly.The recent increase in demand is driven by higher diesel consumption… pic.twitter.com/e6Y4XqpjWi— Indian Oil Corp Ltd (@IndianOilcl) May 21, 2026
