ISLAMABAD: Despite government initiatives to curb fuel consumption amid the geopolitical tensions arising from the Israel-US conflict with Iran, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) saw sale volumes surged by 13 percent in March 2026 over previous month of February.
The sales volume of OMCs witnessed a significant increase of 13 percent on a month-on-month (MoM) basis in March, reaching a total of 1.44 million tons, while the year-on-year (YoY) growth stood at 19 percent.
For first nine months (July-March 2026), OMC sales totalled 12.40 million tons, marking a 5 percent increase YoY increase.
Following the March 2026 Middle East conflict disrupting oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistan has implemented urgent fuel austerity measures to reduce consumption. Key steps include a four-day workweek, closing schools for two weeks, reducing official fuel allowances by 50 percent and exploring [even-odd fuel rationing for vehicles 1, 2, 4, 12].
According to data, Motor Spirit (MS) sales stood at 0.67m tons, showing a 8 percent MoM rise from Feburary and 16 percent YoY increase.
High-Speed Diesel (HSD) sales reached 0.62m tons, reflecting a 21 percent YoY growth and a 13 percent MoM increase.
Furnace Oil (FO) sales came in at 0.09 m tons, registering a 98 percent MoM increase and 62 percent YoY increased, Pakistan State Oil (PSO) remained the market leader with total sales of 0.63m tons in March 2026, with MS and HSD off-take at 0.26m tons each. Attock Petroleum Limited (APL) reported total sales of 0.11m tons. The company’s MS and HSD sales were 0.05m tons each.
Wafi Energy (WAFI) posted sales of 0.10m tons, with MS at 0.06mtons and HSD at 0.04m tons. Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOL) achieved total sales of 0.05m tons, with MS dispatches of 0.02m tons and HSD at 0.02m tons.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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