India refiners getting rare oil cheap as China demand slows

Indian refining companies are snapping up rare crude grades as the coronavirus outbreak curtails China's demand for processing, executives and traders said, with prices for some grades falling by as much as 15 percent.

Chinese refiners have slashed output by at least 1.5 million barrels a day in February, or over 10 percent, after the virus outbreak hit domestic fuel demand, leading to swelling stocks.

"Opportunity for Indian markets is more in the context of what is happening in China and in recent times we received crudes, which are appearing to be attractive as compared to their value earlier," said R. Ramachandran, head of refineries at Bharat Petroleum Corp.