Petroleum Sales Rise in October Due to High Diesel Demand

Pakistan’s oil marketing companies (OMCs) recorded total sales of 1.5 million tons in October 2025, up 9 percent month-on-month as high-speed diesel demand rose during the Kharif crop harvesting season. On a yearly basis, sales remained flat compared to October last year. According to Topline Research, cumulative sales for the first four months of FY26 reached 5.4 million tons, marking a 4 percent year-on-year increase from 5.2 million tons in the same period of FY25. Excluding furnace oil, monthly sales stood at 1.47 million tons, up 2 percent year-on-year and 8 percent month-on-month, taking total ex-FO volumes to 5.3 million tons, up 8 percent year-on-year. Motor spirit sales declined 2 percent year-on-year and 4 percent month-on-month to 657,000 tons. High-speed diesel volumes, however, jumped 4 percent year-on-year and 21 percent month-on-month to 714,000 tons. Furnace oil demand remained weak, falling 52 percent year-on-year but rising more than twofold month-on-month to 28,000 tons, with PSO, CYNERGY, and Pearl PARCO leading sales. Among major players, Pakistan State Oil’s sales rose 13 percent month-on-month to 643,000 tons but were down 8 percent year-on-year. PSO’s overall market share increased to 42.95 percent in October, up from 41.57 percent in September, driven by a sharp gain in diesel sales. Attock Petroleum sold 124,000 tons, up 7 percent month-on-month and steady year-on-year, maintaining an 8.4 percent market share in motor spirit and high-speed diesel. Wafi Energy posted a 14 percent yearly increase in sales to 121,000 tons, while Hascol’s volumes fell 9 percent to 42,000 tons. Petrol prices averaged Rs. 265.85 per litre in October, rising slightly by Rs. 1.24, while diesel prices climbed by Rs. 4.73 to Rs. 276.11 per litre compared with the previous month. Looking ahead, Topline expects oil sales in FY26 to grow between 7 and 10 percent, supported by a rebound in transport and agriculture activity. The government has set a Petroleum Development Levy target of Rs. 1.47 trillion for the fiscal year, of which Rs. 493 billion — about 34 percent — has already been collected in the first four months.