India's gasoline exports fell for the fourth straight month in September and jet fuel exports also declined as domestic consumption continued to increase, but diesel shipments rose. Gasoline exports fell by 2.6pc to 240,000 b/d from August's 246,000 b/d, according to provisional data released by the oil ministry. They fell by 13.5pc on the year and by 25pc compared with the same time in pre-pandemic 2019. Aviation fuel exports fell for the third consecutive month, down by 7pc on the month to 77,000 b/d and by 60pc compared to September 2019, even though demand was lower compared to pre-pandemic levels. It was up by 9.4pc on the year. Consumption of jet fuel in September rose by 11pc on the month, oil ministry data showed, while it was down by 37pc against 2019 levels, as airlines were only allowed to operate at 85pc of their pre-pandemic capacity. Although gasoline in September was mostly unchanged from August, it rose by 10pc from the same time in 2019. The increase was thanks to a rise in the use of personal transport because of fears of a possible next wave of Covid-19 infections. Meanwhile, diesel exports rose by 11pc from August to 695,000 b/d despite a month-on-month increase in consumption. Shipments were up by 4.6pc compared with last year, but were down by 16pc from September 2019. India is the world's third-largest consumer of energy and a net exporter of oil products, while it imports nearly 84pc of its crude needs.
Crude imports rose by 4.7pc on the month to 4.3mn b/d and were up by 16pc compared with the same time last year, and by 4.7pc from 2019, oil ministry data showed. This was echoed by an increase in the country's crude processing, which rose by 2.1pc from August as refineries increased capacity utilisation in expectation of an increase in demand this quarter. Most of India's crude imports come from the Middle East, which accounted for 59.7pc of the total ship-ins between April and September this year. This is compared to 61.7pc during the same period last year. "Crude oil imports from Opec countries decreased to 69.7pc of total imports during April-September 2021, as compared to 73.9pc during April-September 2020," according to the oil ministry's monthly report. India has also been trying to diversify its import basket. The oil ministry data also showed that imports from North and South America accounted for 18.1pc of the total share, up from 17.8pc, while the share of African crude imports rose to 15.9pc from 14.6pc last year.