India’s exports of petroleum products declined by 12.5% in volume terms to 4.2 million tonnes in April, compared to 4.8 million tonnes in April 2024, according to data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell.
The decline in petroleum products exports during last month were mainly due to a decrease in exports of high-speed diesel (HSD) and aviation turbine fuel (ATF).
In value terms too, the exports declined by almost 35% to $2.4 billion during the fiscal year compared with $3.7 billion in the same period a year ago.
Imports of refined oil products also declined by 9% on-year to 3.9 million tonnes in April. The import bill for these products reduced by 14% to $1.8 billion, PPAC data showed.
“Imports made due to deficit in production like LPG and Lubes accounted for 45.9% share of total petroleum products import during April 2025 as compared to 43.0% during April 2024,” PPAC said. Petcoke accounted for 29.3% of the total imports during the month with the entire quantity being imported by private players.
India’s consumption of petroleum products during last month remained muted at 20.1 million tonnes, same as last year. For FY26, the country has projected its domestic petroleum product demand to reach a record 252.9 million tonnes.
According to data by global real-time data and analytics provider, Kpler, India’s export of petroleum products in April declined by 22% to 1.12 million barrels per day against 1.44 million barrels per day in March. On an year-on-year basis, exports fell over 7% from 1.20 million barrels in April 2024.
The United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Netherlands emerged as the top destinations for the country’s petroleum products exports last month. However, exports to all three countries declined in April.
Kpler anticipates a temporary decline in crude processing volumes of around 250,000 barrels per day in the second quarter of 2025, as refiners such as Reliance Industries, Indian Oil Corp, and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals commence planned maintenance. “However, export volumes are expected to remain strong, as per an industry expert.
A more substantial increase in crude processing is expected toward late 2025 or into 2026, as several brownfield expansions currently underway—at Koyali, Barauni, and Panipat—begin to come online.
While the US imposed reciprocal tariffs of 26% on India, some goods including energy and other certain minerals have been exempted from the tariffs. The exemptions come as a relief to the energy markets with Indian exports of petroleum products likely to witness a muted impact, industry players say.
However, global energy markets remain susceptible to disruption due to geopolitical uncertainties.
The recent disruptions in global shipping have pushed goods prices up while pressurising the global supply chains. As per the government, while container freight rates normalised in 2023, they experienced a significant surge in 2024 due to stronger demand, shipping route disruptions in the Red Sea, and delays at the Panama Canal.
Source from: https://www.financialexpress.com/policy/economy/petroleum-exports-volume-down-12-5-in-april-value-plunges-35/3856979/
