India imported 51 million tonnes, or about two million barrels per day, of crude oil in the first half of the fiscal year to March 2005, an oil ministry official said.

He said the country was likely to import about 100 million tonnes, or two million bpd, in 2004/05, about 11 per cent more than the previous year.
“Crude oil imports are rising as expected,” said the official.
Demand for oil in India has risen despite the rise in global crude prices, because the government has cut taxes on refined products to soften the impact on retail prices, and on rapid economic growth.
India’s economy expanded 7.4 per cent in the year through the April-June quarter, slowing from 8.2 per cent in the March quarter and 10.4 per cent in the December quarter of 2003.
India’s oil ministry expects domestic demand to rise nearly four per cent in 2004/05.
Domestic sales of oil products by Indian state firms rose 5.9 percent to 39 million tonnes in April-August.