Chandigarh, March 5 Farmers in some parts of Punjab, mainly, are buying up petrol and diesel in panic due to fears of fuel shortages amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
The president of the Punjab Petroleum Dealers Association, Sandeep Sehgal, said on Thursday that customers at some petrol pumps have been buying fuel in large quantities for the past two days.
Sehgal, however, stated that the supply of fuel is currently stable.
According to fuel pump owners, consumers are concerned about a potential shortage of oil due to the escalating conflict following the joint Israeli-US strike on Iran.
Farmers in rural areas are stocking up on diesel, which they need for the wheat harvesting season, which begins next month, they said.
Farmers were seen at fuel stations in Faridkot, Samana (Patiala), and Gurdaspur filling barrels and drums with diesel, which they transported on tractor-trolleys.
One farmer explained that they were buying fuel now because there might be a shortage or price increase due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
A petrol pump owner in Samana said that farmers are buying two to three drums of diesel.
A petrol pump owner in Faridkot said that farmers are stocking up on fuel.
Tractor-trolleys were seen lining up at the fuel pumps to replenish their supplies for farm activities.
"Farmers are panicking and trying to stock up," said a fuel pump owner in Amritsar.
Another fuel pump owner said that regular customers who typically buy fuel for Rs 500 to 1,000 are now filling up their tanks.
The US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a series of attacks, mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
