India hit a decade record high for bitumen consumption

According to The Economic times ,consumption of bitumen in India climbed a decade high last year due to a surge in construction on the verge of general election. Bitumen sales, used mainly for building roads, rose 10% to 8.8 million metric tons (MMT) in fiscal year of 2024 reported by India oil ministry.

More than 40% of bitumen consumed in India is imported. $1.3 billion has been paid in India for bitumen imports in FY24, 8% more than the previous year. In volume terms, bitumen accounts for about 4% of total domestic consumption of products refined.

Bitumen consumption has gained pace in recent years in line with increasing road construction activity. Average annual consumption in the last five financial years was 7.7 MMT, up from an average of 5.94 MMT between 2014-15 and 2018-19.

Last fiscal, western India was the largest consumer of bitumen and the East the smallest. Bitumen is the preferred material for road building although cement is also being increasingly used for making concrete roads.