New Delhi: As March turns to April and ripe fields stretch till the horizon, farmers look forward to a season of prosperity. This time around, anxiety is rising.
The war in West Asia has brought strict curbs on diesel sales, raising concerns that the machines that do the heavy lifting at this time of year may struggle for fuel. Farmers said the ban on loose fuel sales—designed to curb illegal storage and misuse—has heightened uncertainty.
“Any disruption in harvesting will not only impact crop quality but also delay procurement, affecting overall farm incomes,” said Bhanu Pratap Singh, a farmer based in Uttar Pradesh. With the wheat harvest window being narrow and weather-sensitive, stakeholders warn that ensuring an uninterrupted diesel supply will be crucial to avoid operational bottlenecks and safeguard output in the country’s key grain-producing regions.
Following a government advisory, fuel stations now supply fuel only to vehicles or authorized bulk buyers, making it difficult for farmers—especially in remote villages—to store diesel for uninterrupted farm operations. The ₹22 per litre hike in industrial diesel prices has also raised concerns about higher costs. The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Kirti Kisan Union, and Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, and farmers across northern states such as Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh are now planning to raise the issue with authorities.
The Centre has maintained that there is adequate stock of crude oil, petrol and diesel, as India’s oil import sources are diversified and most of the oil comes from outside West Asia. On Tuesday, the petroleum ministry said panic-buying driven by rumours has been observed in certain areas, leading to unusually high sales and crowding at retail outlets. “However, adequate stocks of petrol and diesel are available at all petrol pumps across the country,” it said, reiterating its advice to the public not to believe rumours.
Practicality over safety
Fuel demand for harvesters and tractors surges as the harvest season begins around 10 April in India, where agriculture accounts for about two-fifths of the annual diesel demand of about 92 million tonnes. Wheat production is expected to hit a record at 120.21 million tonnes in the rabi marketing season (2026-27), around 2.26 million tonnes more than the previous year, according to the government estimates.
The Union petroleum ministry on 13 March advised states and petrol pumps to stop selling petrol and diesel in containers to prevent panic buying. The move followed the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran reacted to US-Israel strikes on its energy infrastructure.
Queries emailed to the spokespersons of the ministries of agriculture and farmers’ welfare, and petroleum and natural gas remained unanswered until the press time.
To be sure, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization under the commerce ministry discourages loose sale of transport fuels due to safety concerns. But the norms were not implemented strictly until the government advisory.
Farmers normally prepare for the peak harvesting period by filling tractor and harvester tanks in advance and purchase diesel in containers for later use, said Rattan Randhawa, a farmer from Deo in Punjab’s Taran Tarn district. “This practice allows them to avoid repeated trips to fuel stations during the short and labour-intensive harvest window, when every hour is critical to prevent crop losses. This has been the usual process so far.”
Farmer organizations now plan to approach the authorities to consider temporary relaxations or introduce alternative mechanisms to ensure timely fuel availability during the peak agricultural season.
Farmers seek temporary relaxation
A district-level meeting with farmers has been scheduled on 6 April, a farmer association representative said. “We also plan to submit a representation to the Deputy Commissioner concerned, urging that the sale of diesel in loose form be permitted during the harvesting season,” said Raminder Singh, press secretary of the Kirti Kissan Union and national coordination committee member of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha.
Sarwan Singh Pandher, Punjab leader of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and coordinator of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, said farmers raised the issue at an All India Kisan Mazdoor Morcha meeting in Kurukshetra held on Tuesday, and decided to write to the concerned authorities concerned for temporary relaxation.
“In rural areas, it is not feasible for farmers to take harvesters to fuel pumps repeatedly. Purchasing fuel in containers has been a common practice,” Pandher said. “Moreover, frequent trips to fuel stations are impractical, as they result in significant time loss during a critical harvesting period.”