The demand for diesel in the country today is already 4% higher than that observed in the same period last year, said the secretary of oil, natural gas and biofuels of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), José Mauro Coelho. At the peak of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, in April, fuel consumption dropped by 18%.

"Note that the Brazilian economy is starting to recover. Diesel consumption shows this. This has a lot to do with agribusiness, with the great harvest that we are experiencing," said Coelho, in an online event of the Regional Association of Companies of the Oil, Gas and Biofuels Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (Arpel).

With regard to other fuels, demand remains lower compared to last year, but with growth in relation to the worst moment of the economic crisis. In the case of gasoline, demand, which reached 35% less, today experiences a reduction of 8%.

Regarding hydrated ethanol, the drop is around 23%, compared to the 49% reduction, observed at the most critical moment of the crisis. According to Coelho, the aviation kerosene market is still the most serious, with a fall of 76%. This number, however, reached 85%.

The MME secretary also said that the country's oil production is also showing a recovery. According to him, in January and February, production was around 2.8 million barrels of oil per day. "As of March, we had a small drop in production. Today we have already resumed production," he said, recalling that Petrobras had adjusted its production down in March and April.