India to come up with fuel economy rules for diesel tractors

India’s oil ministry has established a high-level committee to help frame fuel economy rules for tractors to moderate their diesel fuel consumption. The tractor market segment is said to consume nearly 7.7% of India’s annual diesel fuel use. Tractors are used for different applications and average fuel consumption varies per application.

A nine-member steering committee headed by an additional secretary in India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is expected to submit an interim report within six months. A final roadmap for developing the standards is expected within 15 months.

Diesel fuel is the most consumed fuel in India, accounting for more than 56% of the 82 million tonnes of petroleum products consumed in the last six months, from April-October. As much as 57% of total diesel fuel consumed goes into cars. Trucks consume another 28.25%, while tractors, agricultural equipment, and agricultural pump sets consume 13%.